Lamar Johnson Collaborative created the transformative POPCourts! project on Chicago’s West Side. The 7,000-square-foot development is versatile and works as both basketball courts and an outdoor community plaza in the Austin Neighborhood. 

The project was developed in collaboration with Mayor Lightfoot’s INVEST South/West initiative, which brings together groups to invest in neighborhoods and drive inclusive growth throughout the city. The space hosts food trucks, farmers’ markets, and impactful murals by local artists that feature influential leaders like Malcolm X, Harriet Tubman, and Maya Angelou. 

 

The groundbreaking for POPCourts! took place in October 2020, and it was constructed with the goal of providing a secure community space that residents could enjoy outdoors. LJC clearly surpassed this goal, because the project also earned them an Urban Land Institute Americas Awards for Excellence in May 2022 in recognition of their superior development efforts. 

Great job done by the LJC team for producing such a positive and creative space where residents can gather safely. 

 

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