50 Designers, 50 Ideas, 50 Wards

A neighborhood arts venue with social engagement at its core.

Our sidewalks and streets contain lots of random objects in the right of way. Is it really possible for cars and people to share this space?

Can we plan urban centers in a way that accepts fluctuations in population?

More than a roof: these $60,000 units provide homeless youth with refuge, ownership and community.

Putting the power of an entire local business district under one roof.

Mini marketplaces help small businesses get off the ground.

Architectural ghosts from Chicago's past ward the city from the status quo.

A new monument made of familiar materials makes its debut in Burnside.

Does Chicago's ward system still make sense as a civic organizing device?

Coming to a block near you! This community pop-up shop adds wheels and a regular service route to locals across several neighborhoods.

What will it take to repair past abuses and nurse our urban waterways back to health?

Coming to 31st Street, the unimaginable: a swimming hole on the Chicago River.

Houses that push out in order to look in.

2016 Student Newhouse Architecture + Design Competition winner proposes a community space for teens to solve problems and be creative.

Large, municipal water treatment plants aren't the only way to deliver clean drinking water to Chicagoans.

A hub for design education and local manufacturing engages recovering communities on multiple levels.

The "plug and play" solution for activating spaces to sell, play and unite.

Instead of you going to the theater, this theater comes to you!