Plate 79 (2 Drawings) from The Plan of Chicago, 1909: Suggested Location and Arrangement of the Railway Passenger Stations West of the River. Overhead Scheme: 1. Plan at Street Level. 2. Plan Above Street Level 1909

Daniel Burnham made this drawing called Plate 79 in 1909 to illustrate The Plan of Chicago. The whole thing is rendered with such delicacy, it's almost like a memory, or a dream. The drawing shows two plans for railway passenger stations, one at street level and one above. I love the subtle variations in line weight. It’s clear Burnham wasn’t just drafting; he was thinking through the act of drawing, using the quality of the line to suggest depth and shadow. Look at how the diagonal lines indicating railway tracks cut across the grid of streets. The lines pull your eye through the space, creating a real sense of movement. It reminds me a bit of Paul Klee, actually. Klee’s Bauhaus drawings have a similar interest in the poetics of the line. Ultimately, both Burnham and Klee show us how plans are never just about the thing that is planned. They are about the process of planning itself.