Why did some critics describe the Plan of Chicago as elitist?

Some critics have described the Plan of Chicago as elitist because they argue it emphasized social control and order over the needs of the general population. These critics contend that the plan was too comprehensive to be fully realized and too monumental in its design to be considered humane.1

Furthermore, while the plan was celebrated for its visionary approach to infrastructure, traffic, and open space, some observers noted at the time that it largely ignored pressing urban social issues, such as housing. This focus on physical grandeur and aesthetic order, characteristic of the City Beautiful movement, led to the perspective that the plan prioritized a top-down, elite vision of the city rather than addressing the immediate, lived realities of all its inhabitants.12