The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) and Choose Chicago on Tuesday announced that applications from 15 community organizations have been approved to participate in the first round of the City’s new Chicago Alfresco program, an integral part of Choose Chicago’s push for more neighborhood tourism and a pillar of the City’s broader initiative to open streets and create places for dining, public life, community, arts, culture, walking, and biking. The applications produced an outpouring of creative ideas for transforming the public way into active community spaces for eating, street vending, storytelling, movie nights, and music and arts programming with the use of street furniture, pavement treatments, plantings, lighting, and other placemaking tools.  The new program is part of the City’s broader initiative to open streets and create places for dining, public life, community, arts, culture, walking and biking.  Following are a few of the project proposals submitted by the 15 community organizations selected for the first round of Chicago Alfresco projects: 

• Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council (W 47th St. & S Honore St.): The Back of the Yards Caminata will provide spaces for dining, lounging, performing, and flexible programming opportunities. 

• Little Village Community Foundation (Perez Plaza): The Mercadito will provide a space for local craftspeople to converge on a weekly basis while promoting additional activity on the plaza. The goal is to promote a seasonal market made from semi‐permanent structures that reflect the cultural vibrancy of the various regions on Mexico. 

• Northwest Side CDC (W Fullerton Ave. & W Grand Ave.): Creation of a plaza space to support street vendors (elotero, paleta, tamale carts and other popular Latin American street foods) in organized “stalls” to support culturally‐relevant dining, public life, community, arts, and culture. 

• Puerto Rican Cultural Center (W Division St.): Curbside and street activation along the Paseo Boricua commercial corridor, incorporating outdoor dining spaces and placemaking to promote foot traffic, foster community engagement and stimulate economic development along the corridor. The project will include artistic interventions and murals, visually appearing wood kiosks, gathering areas, seating arrangements, furniture, and programming, in at least 5 different hubs, each one with its own theme and purpose. 

For more information, visit Chicago.gov/alfresco and/or Chicago.gov/specialeventspermits.