What do you think of alleys? Many of them are dirty, hidden, unsavory spaces, but there is an urban effort to upgrade alleys and how they are used. [pullquote]The Nickel Tour from Urbanful.org says “Urban alleys aren’t for garbage and graffiti anymore. Cities and community groups are turning them into places for people, art and maybe even a new front yard.”[/pullquote]
In Seattle, Detroit, San Francisco, and our own Chicago, alleys are getting makeovers and becoming interesting art and culture destinations. ChicagoTalks reported on several of the events, including Flow/Fluss, in Couch Place, an alley that runs between Dearborn and State St. from last year.
The ACTIVATE program that brought night life to alleys in Chicago’s loop in 2014, ” … generated an estimated $393,120 in economic impact to Loop businesses to date. More than 14,000 people attended seven ACTIVATE events from September 2013 to October 2014, each of which transformed an iconic downtown alley into a pop-up urban celebration with art, music and interactive experiences.
According to ACTIVATE and LoopChicago, more than 14,000 people participated in the various alley events. They stayed in Loop hotels, ate downtown, visited bars, and had very positive experiences all in all. According to the Chicago Loop Alliance president and CEO, Michael Edwards, “Placemaking and place management are key priorities for Chicago Loop Alliance, and we look forward to continuing to develop underutilized public space downtown. Vibrant spaces attract people and investment.”
So even if you are snowed in, or isolated by the cold, you can look forward to the opportunity to explore some places you might have thought were only for the birds, or rodents, that we used to call “alleys,” when they are transformed into galleries and cultural hot spots in 2015.