On the heels of the annual Good Design Awards, Chicago's Artropolis returns April 25 to 28. The epicenter of this citywide arts and culture celebration, now in its second year, is the Merchandise Mart, home to five shows. The biggest is Art Chicago; the others are the Merchandise Mart International Antiques Fair, the Artist Project, the Intuit Show of Folk and Outsider Art, and Next.

Of course, design is a year-round affair in these parts. The Art Institute of Chicago's “Graphic Thought Facility: Resourceful Design,” running March 27 to August 17, is the institution's first exhibit devoted to a single firm. Meanwhile, visitors can watch architecture in action as Renzo Piano Building Workshop completes a museum wing for a 2009 opening date. On Lake Shore Drive, the Chicago Spire by Santiago Calatrava and Perkins + Will is rising 150 stories with 1,193 residences. And, speaking of development, next year's Burnham Plan Centennial commemorates Daniel H. Burnham's influential vision for Chicago as a whole.

For more details on Chicago happenings, click to start the slide show at right.