设计灵感来自卡尔桑德堡关于"巨肩之城"，通过定义传达芝加哥的现在和未来反映悠久的历史文化，通过雕塑般的地形和植被呈现芝加哥不同时期的景观特色。肩膀一样的树篱犹如一面有生命的高墙，使花园得以应对北部露天音乐会散场后从邻近大草坪涌来的大流量的观众。树篱由金属框架和多种植物构建而成，篱内的花园分成两个广场，形状不同，分别被称为黑暗广场和光明广场，黑暗广场象征着城市神秘而又泥泞的过去；而光明广场象征着芝加哥的现代，表现出人类对自然的掌控和期望。名为"裂痕"的栈桥是两个广场的分界线，构建在浅浅的水面上，游客穿过栈桥，意味着从蛮荒的黑暗世界进入进步光明的世界。

The Lurie Garden's design concept responds to the rich history of the site and the city by conceptualizing and expressing the present and future of Chicago. The Shoulder Hedge is a living wall that protects the garden's interior from heavy pedestrian traffic, especially after concerts on the adjacent Great Lawn. Within the Shoulder Hedge, the garden has two interior "Plates" that are planted with perennials and trees. The plates, called the Dark Plate and Light Plate, strongly contrast with each other. The Dark Plate, referencing the marshy, mysterious past of the site and city, immerses people in the landscape. Visitors can experience this dream-like immersion in a swollen volume of robust plants and earth form. The Light Plate, referencing Chicago's modern and artistic control of nature, offers control and prospect. The raised pathways and lower sweeps of plantings provide an exhilarating experience of surveying a bright and clean, controlled landscape. The Seam is the boundary between the two plates. It is composed of a boardwalk that "floats" over a shallow water feature. One crosses the Seam in order to move from the wild immersion of the Dark Plate to the controlled empowerment of the Light Plate.