Alley Installation for Chicago Artists Month, 2015, Part of the inaugural Chicago Biennial
Chicago’s urban fabric has always been characterized by the competing forces of the marvels of engineering and the historically embedded local character of our constantly evolving communities. The Last Mile project aims to activate these forces and expand the idea of infrastructure so as to include both physical and social dimensions while redefining the relationship between structure and agency.
The Good City Group, along with fellow artists and local residents, launched the first of multiple installations and culture walks by taking over an alleyway connecting the Jefferson Park Intermodal Transit Center to the heart of Jefferson Park neighborhood.
Located between 4866 and 4872 N Milwaukee Avenue, we used the alleyway’s horizontal and vertical surfaces to discuss and map routes for culture walks—from Jefferson Park to Forest Glen —from one mode of transportation to another. Directing this discussion at the very center of Jefferson Park, in the outdoor passage and important link that the alley offers, allowed our group to curate genuine engagement that’s both democratic and open. Conversation and design took shape organically as participants brought their own narratives about familiar spaces, people, environment.
Created with support from the office of Alderman Arena (45th Ward), the National Endowment for the Arts, the Graham Foundation, and Chicago Department of Transportation (C-DOT) Make Way for People initiative.
Press
Alley to be ‘urban planning lab’
Urban planning event held in Jefferson Park
Jefferson Park Alley To Be Transformed by Urban Planning Effort