CASE STUDY CLOSER LOOK

LINCOLN HUB Interim Design Project Type: Curb Extensions / Plazas Location: Chicago, IL Sponsor Organization: Lakeview Chamber of Commerce / SSA 27 Agencies Involved: Chicago DOT

Lincoln Hub’s Generous curb extensions / plazas reduce turn radii and shorten the crossing distance by 20% (Site Design Group).

CONTEXT The Lakeview Chamber of Commerce is a neighborhood organization dedicated to supporting businesses in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. In 2011, the organization released the Lakeview Area Master Plan. The plan identified the need for pedestrian improvements and beautification along Lincoln Avenue, and in 2014 an additional public input process further prioritized enhancing public space and improving pedestrian safety and comfort around the six-way intersection at Wellington, Southport, and Lincoln Avenues. Through the Chicago Department of Transportation’s (CDOT) Make Way for People Program, the Chamber was able to design and implement a high-impact project using low-cost materials, bringing benefits to the community quickly. The Make Way for People Program aims to create public spaces that cultivate community and culture in Chicago’s neighborhoods. From short-term events 98 · PROJECT APPLICATIONS

to pilot and interim design projects, the program supports innovation in the public right-of-way by opening Chicago’s streets, parking spots, plazas, and alleys to new programming and market opportunities via public and private partnerships. Make Way for People incorporates four program areas:

Called “Lincoln Hub,” the Chamber’s project falls under the People Streets category of the program. As with all Make Way for People projects, Lincoln Hub was driven by the community. CDOT’s role centered around design review, permitting, and evaluation.

• People Spots create curbside public spaces adjacent to the sidewalk (aka “parklets”);

DESIGN PROCESS

• People Streets convert excess roadway into hardscape public spaces using temporary measures like paint and street furniture; • People Plazas activate existing CDOT malls, plazas, and triangles with new programming or retail; and • People Alleys enable the use of alleys for artwalks, seating, and other small scale events that support placemaking and economic and community development.

Knowing that CDOT was planning to undertake a larger streetscape and upgrade at the project site in a few years, both partners saw Lincoln Hub as an opportunity to use temporary materials to test out bold ideas and geometries, and gain insight for the permanent project. The Chamber released a formal RFP and selected a design team. The final design featured generous curb extensions and plazas at each leg of the sixway intersection, which were to be created using paint, delineators, and planters. The curb extensions