Chicagoans take to the Open Streets

• Ed Finkel
• July 30, 2009

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Thousands of bicyclists, inline skaters, runners and strollers hit the boulevards in five West Side NCP neighborhoods Saturday morning and early afternoon when last October’s twin Sunday Parkways events were reprised all at once under a new name: Open Streets.

Co-sponsors of the Aug. 1 event included the Active Transportation Alliance, Chicago Community Trust and LISC/Chicago.

Participants reveled in the temporary takeover by non-motorized vehicles, and activity stations dotted the eight-mile route, ranging from arts and sports, to health and fresh food. The misty rain and medium-cool breeze created a sprinkler-like effect that kept even a severely out of shape middle-aged LISC scribe from breaking much of a sweat. (For video of the event along with more descriptions and pictures, please click here.)

Stopped at a station in Little Village that featured giant games of checkers, chess and dominoes, along with Twister and hula hoops, Keith Bradley of Hyde Park said the open streets themselves had been his favorite aspect of the day.

"It's been the open streets, just that, letting the communities come out and take back the streets," he said. "And just all the subtle blending of the communities, removing the barriers of these city neighborhoods. That's what's so wonderful about it."

Across the intersection of Marshall Boulevard and Cermak Road, a group of people sat in a circle under a tree knitting a giant multicolored pinata. As the route continued north into North Lawndale, groups of boys played basketball in the middle of Douglas Boulevard, with cries of "I got next!" filling the air.

Kids tried out hip-hop moves on the slick street near Douglas Park, while scores of area residents munched and listened to both DJs and live music at the Taste of North Lawndale, which unfolded in Douglas Park, at 24th and Sacramento.

Across from the Garfield Park Conservatory on Central Park Avenue, an inflatable, four person bungee jump apparatus with trampolines attracted a crowd of young families and teenagers. "C'mon, you can do it -- go go go!" a parent shouted.

Teri and Paul Montez of the South Loop/North Chinatown said they started riding with their 6-year-old twins, Nina and Paul, at the south end of Garfield Park. They continued north to Fullerton Avenue in Logan Square but had promised to stop at the bungee jump on the way back south.

"It's been raining most of the way, but we've been having a good time," said Paul Sr. "They should do this once a month."

At Division and Sacramento in Humboldt Park, a Cuban rumba band paused briefly as a marching band from After School Matters tooted their way past, while up in Logan Square, a Puerto Rican Guiro orchestra set up on the steps of St. Sylvester Elementary School got participants dancing along Palmer Boulevard,

UIC student Angel Gonzalez said he started in his home community of Little Village and rode north. "I wanted to check it out," he said. "I'm seeing what different organizations have to offer."

Several weeks of planning
Agencies spent several weeks leading up to the event gathering volunteers, developing promotional materials, and planning the activity stations.

“I would like to see more intentional collaboration,” said Christina Bronsing, interim NCP director at Enlace Chicago, during a June 22 meeting at the Toman branch library that included representatives of Illinois State University, Chicago Public Schools, St. Anthony’s Hospital, and the Active Transportation Alliance.

The partners spent this particular meeting, early in the process, brainstorming types of activities and other agencies they might want to bring to the table.

“This event is not just about Little Village but getting folks to go to North Lawndale, to go to East Garfield,” Bronsing said. “We need to think about activity stations. We have a short time-line. Who’s not at the table? We need to reach out.”

The coalitions of agencies in each of the five neighborhoods asked and answered those questions, and they planned scores of activities among them. Humboldt Park featured more than 30 activities, said Miguel Morales, West Town community networker with the Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago’s Children (CLOCC).

These included a bicycle decoration and repair station courtesy of West Town Bikes; a video exhibition from the youth group Street Level Media; sports activities run by the Boys & Girls Club; and the music stage at Division and Sacramento, which also featured Puerto Rican bomba music in addition to the Cuban rumba, he said.

Morales, who chairs the Active Lifestyles Task Force of the Greater Humboldt Park Community of Wellness, said that task force served as the fulcrum that brought together groups like the McCormick-Tribune YMCA, Co-Op Humboldt Park, West Humboldt Park Family and Community Development Council, and NCP lead agency Bickerdike Redevelopment Corp.

“I got to bring a lot of people to the table who hadn’t worked together before,” he said. “Getting to know new partners and getting them involved has been exciting."

During a series of meetings, the groups divided tasks like gathering volunteers, promoting the event, and developing activity stations. “Overwhelmingly, these are neighborhood groups that are involved,” Morales added.

In addition to the Taste of North Lawndale, NCP manager Tracie Worthy and NCP organizer Kelly Smith of Lawndale Christian Development Corp. looked forward to the Breast Cancer Awareness Walk, which began at two locations – 13th and Independence in North Lawndale, and Bloomingdale and Sacramento in Humboldt Park.

LCDC enlisted the Sinai Community Institute as a partner in that effort, Worthy said. “One of their initiatives is making women of color more aware of breast cancer research,” she said. “We’re excited about bringing them to the neighborhood.”

East Garfield Park divided its route into themes, said Rishona Taylor, NCP organizer at the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance. On Franklin Street activity stations related to fitness and health, on both a personal and community level. The Greater Chicago Food Depository, for example, stationed a produce truck on the route and take Food Stamp referrals.

On Central Park Avenue, stations focused on art and culture, with both DJs and live music. “We’re definitely making it more festive, in terms of having more music,” said Taylor.

In Logan Square, the lineup of activities ranged from the Guiro orchestra, to an aerobics class with a “Latin fusion flair,” according to Rebecca Walz, NCP organizer at the Logan Square Neighborhood Association.

“We’re really excited that this is happening again, and that it’s going to be eight miles and in the summer,” she said before the event. “We’ve been doing a lot of concerted outreach to make sure people who actually live in the neighborhood get involved. There’s nothing else like this in our neighborhood. So many lakeshore neighborhoods have street closures and these wonderful events.”

The health- and recreation-oriented focus on Open Streets made it all the more welcome, Walz said. “This is a much-needed event from an open space and public health perspective,” she said. “We have issues with childhood obesity and diabetes. It will be great to see people who aren’t traditionally bike-riders ride a bike, and to come out and feel safe in a part of the neighborhood where they normally don’t.”

To see a summary of activity stations and locations in all five neighborhoods, please click here. To see a map of the route participants traveled, please click here. To see a story about the Sunday Parkways event from October 2008, please click here.

To see another additional account of Open Streets complete with video, please see www.neighborhoodsportschicago.org.

 

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