What Cleveland can learn from Chicago's lakefront airport gamble

• Unlike Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, Daley acted without alerting the city council, the statehouse or the Federal Aviation Administration.

What they're saying: "The whole thing was surreal," Axios Chicago reporter Monica Eng tells us. "But it spoke to the imperial power of [Daley], who did what he wanted."

Catch up quick: The Meigs Field land — significantly smaller than Burke at only 91 acres — reopened in 2015 as Northerly Island Park, with natural parkland and a concert venue.

Friction point: Critics argue the development was never fully actualized, and Northerly Park's inaccessibility means it's often desolate.

• "The puny overall visitorship speaks to the problems of putting a public park in a place that's not easy to access with little other foot traffic," Eng says.

The other side: "It's actually a pretty great place to see a concert," Axios Chicago's Carrie Shepherd notes.

• Yes, but: "You have to bike there or you're screwed."

🧐 What we're watching: Would the introduction of amenities on the lakefront in Cleveland cannibalize existing ones?

• Would a new skating rink step on the toes of Public Square? Would another concert venue eat into ticket sales at Jacobs Pavilion and the new riverfront venue? Would an urban wildlife oasis diminish the novelty of the Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve?

The last word: Eng says that instead of Northerly Island, Cleveland could take its cues from Millennium Park, Chicago's photogenic downtown gathering spot.

• "Instead of the Bean, you could have a collection of silver pierogi or Pączki."