Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois launched a second round of PlayStreets. This program is specifically designed to involve children and families throughout Chicago neighborhoods in active play. More than 50 PlayStreets events will take place this summer through Labor Day, benefiting more than 7,000 children across Chicago. The Active Transportation Alliance, World Sport Chicago and Local Initiatives Support Corporation Chicago (LISC) have worked in partnership to implement the program. They will work with grass roots community organizations to empower local residents to take back their streets for fun and fitness.

At a PlayStreets event, the streets are closed off to traffic for a few hours and transformed into an urban oasis featuring sports, games, bounce houses, dancing, fitness classes and more. This year, PlayStreets events will be held in the East Garfield Park, Little Village, West Humboldt Park, Logan Square, Chicago Lawn, Brighton Park, Woodlawn, Quad Communities, North Lawndale, Pilsen, Washington Park and Near North as well as Near West neighborhoods of Chicago.

PlayStreets is a component of Healthy Chicago, the citywide public health agenda launched by Mayor Emanuel and the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) in 2011 dedicated to transforming the health of the City through collaborative efforts and initiatives. A complete schedule of PlayStreets events can be found online at, www.bcbsil.com.