Millennium Park Named One Of The Greatest Places in the United States

Millennium Park has been named one of the greatest public places in the United States.

The American Planning Association has ranked the Downtown park as one of six Great Public Spaces on its Great Places in America list. Selected spaces demonstrate "exceptional character, quality and planning — attributes that enrich communities, facilitate economic growth and inspire others around the country," according to a news release from the association.

APA is an independent, not-for-profit educational organization that provides leadership in the development of vital communities, according to its website.

Millennium Park has been open since 2004. Its features — like the centerpiece Jay Pritzker Pavilion and Cloud Gate sculpture aka the Bean — have become tourist and resident hot spots, bringing in $1.2 billion in tourism revenue, according to the American Planning Association.

"Once the site of an industrial wasteland of railroad tracks and parking lots, Millennium Park was transformed into a world-famous destination after then-Mayor Richard M. Daley announced a plan to repurpose the abandoned industrial space in 1997," the APA said in a statement.

The park was also praised for its Crown Fountain and Lurie Garden, a "four-season urban oasis."