How might we re-imagine and improve viaducts to better support the needs of the Chinatown community?
Coalition for a Better Chinese Community (CBCAC) is a community advocacy organization dedicated to uniting and empowering Chinese American communities across Chicago. Chinatown is divided in two by a vast elevated train facility that extends from 63rd Street to the Loop. This structure creates some of the city’s widest viaducts, which causes community members to avoid walking through these areas due to a lack of maintenance and lighting, and a low perception of safety. CBCAC applied for Cycle 3 of our Design Services Program to receive assistance with creating a vision and strategy for improving the overall safety, vibrancy, and usability of viaducts in Chinatown.
PROCESS
Through public meetings and community engagement sessions with Chinatown residents, the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC), Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), and our team learned about the community’s experience with neighborhood viaducts. Feedback was gathered and documented to help inform plans to improve existing conditions.
SOLUTION
From the community engagement sessions, we discovered three main areas for improvement–visibility, overall repairs, and general maintenance–and developed the 23rd Street Viaduct Vision.
Although viaducts have traditionally been thought as a physical structure separating Chinatown, interventions are intended to re-imagine this infrastructure as public space designed for connection. The 23rd Street Viaduct Vision is intended to act as a test-fit for what is possible both within this viaduct and the many others throughout the neighborhood. The plan suggests a range of improvements such as repainting columns and beams and repairing walls and ceilings; adding LED lighting, fresh paint, and a community mural; and exploring lane closures to make space for pedestrian-friendly activities.
Using the materials created through this collaboration, CBCAC will have conversations with Chicago funders and stakeholders to make this vision a reality while exploring next steps, including work repair and traffic impact studies.
PARTNERS
Community Partners
