The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) announced that People Plaza activation events are taking place in the City’s first two locations this week, including a performance by the Joffrey Ballet today in West Garfield Park. The innovative People Plaza Program is designed to create public spaces in plazas, malls and traffic triangles across Chicago.

“CDOT is very excited about launching the People Plaza Program with activation events today in East Garfield Park and Englewood,” CDOT Commissioner Rebekah Scheinfeld said. “Our goals are to support efforts by local stakeholders to activate and enliven public spaces, to enhance quality of life and to nurture economic development at the neighborhood level.”

Following are the first two scheduled People Plaza activation events – under the banner of Activate! Chicago:

Today, August 28th: Jackson and Homan - 3366 W. Jackson Blvd.

Joffrey Ballet performance, 6 pm to 7 pm

Today, August 28^th: Englewood Plaza - 810 W. 63^rd Street

Frankentoy Mobile Workshop, at which youth and adults can reuse toys as raw material for original creations, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The People Plaza Program is a public-private partnership between the City and Latent Design Corporation, which was selected through a competitive RFP process and is responsible for the management and implementation of the program. The program is being rolled out citywide over the next three years and plazas will be activated in ten locations this year with additional locations added over the next two years.

The citywide effort grows out of CDOT’s Make Way for People Program which employs the urban planning strategy of “placemaking” to support innovative uses of the public way in the city’s streets, parking places, alleys and other public spaces in order to create hubs for community activity.

The goal is to improve street safety, promote walking and support the quality of life and economic vitality of all of the city’s neighborhoods. The program is run by CDOT in partnership with the Department of Finance and the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

For more information on CDOT’s People Plaza Program and Activate! Chicago, go to: activate-chi.org

You can follow CDOT on digital media:

Twitter: @ChicagoDOT
Facebook: www.facebook.com/CDOTNews
The web: chicagodot.org