Mobility streets.
Municipal Code of Chicago § 17-4-0600
in effect17-4-0600 Mobility streets.
17-4-0601 Purpose. The regulations of this section are intended to preserve and enhance the function of certain streets that serve as primary pedestrian routes linking commuter rail stations with the downtown employment core. The regulations are intended to ensure pedestrian safety and comfort, support transit use and promote economic development by ensuring safe and efficient access to downtown's commercial and employment center.
17-4-0602 Description and Criteria for Designation. Mobility streets exhibit most or all of the following characteristics:
17-4-0602-A accommodate very high volumes of pedestrians (averaging 10,000 or more persons per work day); and
17-4-0602-B serve as important connections from commuter rail stations to downtown businesses and employment.
17-4-0603 Designation and Boundaries.
17-4-0603-A Mobility streets are identified in the text of this Zoning Ordinance and shown on the Official Zoning Atlas.
17-4-0603-B The "mobility street" designation may be established or removed only in accordance with the Zoning Ordinance Text and Zoning Map Amendment procedures of Sec. 17-13-0200 and Sec. 17-13-0300. Both a text and map amendment is required.
17-4-0603-C The "mobility street" designation applies to all zoning lots that abut the right- of-way of a pedestrian street.
17-4-0603-D The following downtown street segments are classified as mobility streets:
Street | Segment
From | To
Street | Segment
From | To
North-South Streets
Wacker | Franklin | Van Buren
Canal | Lake | Van Buren
East-West Streets
Wacker | Michigan | Franklin
Lake | Michigan | Canal
Randolph | Michigan | La Salle
Randolph | Wells | Clinton
Washington | Michigan | Clinton
Madison | Michigan | Clinton
Monroe | Michigan | Clinton
Adams | Michigan | Clinton
Jackson | Michigan | Clinton
Van Buren | Michigan | Canal
Figure 17-4-0603
For a printer-friendly PDF version of Figure 17-4-0603, please click here.
[image omitted; see the official code]
17-4-0604 Standards. Minimum sidewalk widths of at least 14 feet are necessary to promote safe and efficient pedestrian flows along designated mobility streets. Whenever development occurs on lots abutting a mobility street and the width of the abutting sidewalk is less than 14 feet, the building must be set back to accommodate a sidewalk with a width of at least 14 feet.
(Added Coun. J. 5-26-04, p. 25275; Amend Coun. J. 3-9-05, p. 44391; Amend Coun. J. 9-13-06, p. 84870, § 2*; Amend Coun. J. 7-29-09, p. 68784, § 1; Amend Coun. J. 5-18-16, p. 24993, § 7)
* Editor's note – The text of the 9-13-06 amendment to the 17-4-603-D table shows changed street names, but without indicating an intent to amend those names through stikethroughs and underlining. Accordingly, those street name changes are being treated as inadvertent and are not shown here.
Source: City of Chicago, Municipal Code of Chicago (American Legal Publishing, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/chicago/latest/chicago_il/0-0-0-2681626Fetched: 10/24/2026