PopCourts! by Lamar Johnson Collaborative is a pop-up park in the Austin neighborhood on Chicago’s Westside. Imagined as a respite from the challenges brought on by the pandemic, PopCourts provides much-needed outdoor amenity space in the heart of Austin. Situated in the middle of the “Soul City Corridor” along Chicago Avenue and identified by the City’s Invest SouthWest initiative, PopCourts is part of a larger vision to bring development to Chicago’s underinvested and primarily black and brown communities.
The project is unique and innovative in the way it engages multiple stakeholders and mobilizes the community to design, fund and build a project in less than a year. Popcourts! is the first of many investments along the corridor, marking a shift in the community; it will be a catalyst for investment in a critical corridor of a historically forgotten and disenfranchised community. The bold colors and design reflect the neighborhood’s vibrancy and provide a culturally relevant backdrop for community events.
Read more about the project:
Finalist, 10th Annual A+Awards, Architecture +Community
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