City Bureau — "A Neighborhood Rink in the (Co)Making"

“As important as the rink itself is the architecture firm’s forthcoming Neighborhood Action Playbook: a booklet that documents the firm’s community engagement process in Garfield Park that could serve as a best-practices manual for those seeking to replicate their methods in other communities. Gang talked about the successes and challenges of their community engagement process.”

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A new community plaza on Madison Street that includes a roller rink and other amenities, designed by Site Design Group and constructed last summer, emerged as one immediate outcome of the Neighborhood Activation process in West Garfield Park.

“A major goal of the project, and a key measure of its success, is to enable local stakeholders to develop capacity, gather resources, and set efforts in motion that fuel momentum long after the designer’s participation.”

— Jeanne Gang

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WBEZ — "Garfield Park Community Plaza Aims to Reduce Gun Violence"

“In West Garfield Park, residents are hoping a new community plaza, with a roller rink for kids and plans for family movie nights, will turn the tides.”

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