THE NATURE OF CIRCULATION: THE URBAN POLITICAL ECOLOGY OF CHICAGO'S MICHIGAN AVENUE BRIDGE, 1909-1930

The idea that the urban environment is socially produced and contested is a central concern of urban political ecology. Drawing from the theme of circulation, it is argued that Chicago's Michigan Avenue Bridge is a socio-physical manifestation of capitalist urban nature that had important repercussions for the city's landscape, particularly the development of North Michigan Avenue. As fixed capital, the bridge functioned as a metabolic vehicle that facilitated and enhanced the circulation of capital within the rapidly expanding metropolis. Chicago's Michigan Avenue Bridge is an example of how power geometries shape social, political, and urban environments.