Chicago's West Side is poised for transformation with the Chicago Plan Commission's recent approval of the 1901 Project, a $7 billion redevelopment effort spearheaded by the owners of the United Center. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the project promises to invest in the West Side by crafting a new neighborhood integrated with public spaces and entertainment venues, rather than creating an isolated district.

The Plan Commission green-lighted the ambitious plan, which United Center CEO Terry Savarise said emphasizes "continuing the center’s promise to invest in the West Side, cultivating next-generation growth and developing a neighborhood of choice," as stated by the Chicago Sun-Times. The plan's first phase centers around a 6,000-seat music hall, a boutique hotel, and a parking deck topped with a green space. These elements, Savarise expressed, aim to align with community and citywide objectives, aiming to craft something exceptional for the area.

In particular, the design by RIOS entails incorporating public parks, plazas, and athletic facilities, ensuring the spaces are accessible all year round. The larger vision, echoed by Richard Peterson, senior project director at RIOS, involves the site functioning as a "connective tissue" weaving together the surrounding neighborhoods. This concept, Peterson declared to the Chicago Sun-Times, is central to the master plan.

However, not all feedback was positive. Brendan Bashin-Sullivan, a hospitality union researcher, raised issues regarding the deferred construction of the bulk of the 9,463 planned residential units, which includes a 20% affordable housing commitment. He expressed this concern emphasizing the pressing need for housing today's workers can afford. Similarly, a downtown hospitality worker named Kimmie Jordan articulated frustration to ABC 7 Chicago that she might retire before the affordable units are built, reflecting an immediacy of need.