The proposed site of the Barack Obama Presidential Center directly removes 19.8 acres of mature, lush parkland from Jackson Park, transferring it to the private Obama Foundation.  While the new plans call for vegetated roofing in select locations, such constructs cannot be construed as a true replacement for mature parkland.  Aside from offering only limited soil depths, and providing an ecologically disturbed habitat without the benefits of a mature ecosystem, green spaces atop structures have a limited lifespan.  Inevitable repairs to the underlying structure will require the removal of this greenery on a recurring basis, preventing a stable and intricately interwoven biome from ever becoming established.  Moreover, plantings will be restricted in their placement and evolution, yielding a diorama of nature, as opposed to a thriving ecological community.

In all, the construction of the Center, together with other resulting park reconfigurations discussed as follows, will result in the loss of over 1,000 mature trees throughout Jackson Park (see Slide One in this booklet for more information).  Some of this senseless destruction has already commenced, with the existing track and field having been relocated to the south in a formerly arbor-dominated space.

Update: As of 17 September 2021, the entire space outlined in yellow above has been cleared of all vegetation, including the loss of three hundred and seventy-two (372) mature trees, and the erasure of the beloved Women's Garden.