In an effort to tackle the physical inequity caused by an epidemic of vacant lots in the South Side of Chicago, a new design-research project creates a series of new decentralized “urban commons” spread out across different spaces in the city’s Bronzeville neighborhood.

With support from the University of New Mexico and the Canadian Council for the Arts, the team worked to install a prototype in the Overton Grounds site that will serve first as a meeting space for various community members. Titled The Center Won’t Hold in an apparent allusion to the oft-quoted William Butler Yeates poem, the intervention offers a malleable structure defined by a series of flowing curtains and simple box frame that can be rearranged or altered in order to provide space for a variety of interactions ranging from the very intimate to more large-scale and civically-oriented gatherings. 

According to the project team, the fabric “enables transformations of the space that acknowledges the evolving practices and values of commoning. Through this decentralized model of sharing, new forms of solidarity can empower residents to take action on the available city.”

The hope is that it will engender a greater sense of autonomy amongst residents while also challenging the “enclave nature of communes to encourage full integration with the neighborhood.” 

The installation has been on view since the beginning of October and will be left in place once the Biennial has ended. Additional project images can be viewed below.