Abstract: Chicago’s lakefront park system is a linear park system along the Lake Michigan, which serves as a cornerstone for Chicago to become a “garden city” and a model of constructing the urban waterfront open space. Our research on the development and evolution of Chicago’s lakefront park system can provide a useful reference for the development and construction of urban parks and waterfront green space system in China. By using the methods of literature study and comparative study and combing relevant historical documents, this paper divides the development process of lakefront park system into four stages: embryonic stage, initial stage of construction, comprehensive development stage and renewal and optimization stage. It elaborates on the development characteristics, dominant ideas, relevant laws and regulations and the construction of core parks in each stage, and summarizes its enlightenment to the construction of waterfront green open space in China.