Friends of the Parks in the news

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Press releases

Press Releases
Friends of the Parks Calls on the South Works Redevelopment to invest at least $50 Million in  park improvements for the Southeast Chicago community
Friends of the Parks Calls on the South Works Redevelopment to invest at least $50 Million in  park improvements for the Southeast Chicago community

Friends of the Parks (FOTP) is calling on Related Midwest, the City of Chicago, and the State of Illinois to commit $50 million (about .05% of the total development cost) for park benefits and protections as part of the proposed $9 billion redevelopment of the former U.S. Steel South Works site at 8080 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive. 

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Press Release from the Mayor’s Press Office on the Future Plans for Park Development at Calumet Confined Disposal Facility
Press Release from the Mayor’s Press Office on the Future Plans for Park Development at Calumet Confined Disposal Facility

A press release from the Mayor’s Office on the Calumet Confined Disposal Facility and future park plans.

Friends of the Parks, the Environmental Law & Policy Center, and the Alliance of the Southeast join city and community leaders; Carlos Ramirez-Rosa from Chicago Park District; Angela Tovar, Chicago’s Department of the Environment; Ald. Peter Chico (10th Ward); and Stacie Johnson, First Lady of Chicago, to unveil the future Park #608, a major step towards transforming Chicago’s only lakefront landfill into public parkland.

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Statement By FOTP Executive Director about ICE Agents Posing in front of The Bean
Statement By FOTP Executive Director about ICE Agents Posing in front of The Bean

The following statement has been released by Friends of the Parks (FOTP) in response to ICE agents posing in front of The Bean (Cloud Gate) in Millennium Park.

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Friends of the Parks Calls for Direct Investment and Park Benefits from Developers for the Southeast Side of the South Works Redevelopment
Friends of the Parks Calls for Direct Investment and Park Benefits from Developers for the Southeast Side of the South Works Redevelopment

FOTP is calling on Related Midwest, the City of Chicago, and the State of Illinois to commit to four key benefits for the Southeast Side community and its parks as part of the $9 billion redevelopment of the historic South Works Site on Chicago’s Southeast Side at 8080 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive. 

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Confined Disposal Facility (CDF) Campaign
Confined Disposal Facility (CDF) Campaign

November 14, 2025

A Victory for Environmental Justice – and a Promise for the Future

Friends of the Parks (FOTP), Alliance for the Southeast (ASE), the Environmental Law & Policy Center (ELPC), community members, and allies recently celebrated a major win: stopping the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from expanding a toxic landfill on Chicago’s lakefront. This victory brings us closer to realizing a long-promised park for the Southeast Side community.

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