By nearly all critical accounts, Chicago’s inaugural Architecture Biennial— North America’s first—was a smash hit. The numbers echo the critics: according to Biennial organizers, more than half a million visitors flooded the venues between October 3 and January 3 to check out dozens of pavilions, exhibitions, and symposia delivered by an international assemblage of architects. Due to its “unequivocal success”—in Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s words—the Biennial will return to the city in 2017.