The coalition is requesting Chicago City Council create the Bird-Friendly Building Design Ordinance mandatory
August 4, 2026, CHICAGO: AIA Chicago, one of the largest local chapters of The American Institute of Architects and the collective voice of over 3,500 licensed architects, emerging professionals, architecture students, and allied professionals, today joined the Chicago Collisions Coalition in advocating for a mandatory bird-friendly building design ordinance, the longstanding goal of Bird Friendly Chicago.
Chicago lies in a major flight path for millions of migratory birds each spring and fall, but is the deadliest US city for these birds. This effort is in conjunction with “Flyway City: Architecture for a Flourishing Ecosystem” an exhibit by Studio Gang now on view at the Chicago Architecture Center.
Bird-window collisions kill over 1 billion birds each year in the United States, and Chicago is a big part of the problem. To address this conservation crisis head on, Alders Maria Hadden, Brian Hopkins, and Ruth Cruz have sponsored a bird-friendly building ordinance that was introduced by Alder Hadden.
Learn more about this issue by viewing the FACT SHEET.
AIA Chicago members and friends are encouraged to take action and learn more by visiting ChicagoCollisionsCoalition.org.
