Activate Union Station contest submissions phase now over; public may vote July 26-31 to weigh in on best plan for Chicago’s Union Station
(Chicago)…The Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) is excited to announce that 25 plans are in the running for the Activate Union Station placemaking contest, which asks the question, “How can we bring Chicago’s Union Station back to life?” The public has the opportunity to vote for their favorite idea starting Friday, July 26, through Wednesday, July 31, at activateunionstation.com. The public vote does not decide the winner of the contest. However, the panel of judges will take the results of the public contest into account when picking the final winners. The winners will be announced on Monday, Aug. 12.
The contest, which began accepting submissions on June 5, seeks the best temporary use of three underutilized spaces at Union Station:
- the Plaza of Fifth Third Center, on the Chicago River between Adams and Jackson streets;
- the head house in the Great Hall; and
- the arcade along Canal Street.
The winners will receive $5,000 to bring their ideas to life for 10 days, Aug. 24 to Sept. 2. Two winners will be chosen, each one activating a different space. Winners will be determined by the Placemaking Chicago Review Panel, which includes representatives from Chicago’s arts, architectural, and planning community, as well as representatives of Amtrak. The contest is generously underwritten by Fifth Third Bank.
Drawing inspiration from Project for Public Spaces’ “lighter, quicker, cheaper” mantra, the Activate Union Station contest aims to underscore the importance of low-budget, short-term methods for transforming spaces from dead zones—where no activity takes place—to community assets, where people come to relax, mingle and enjoy. Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station is an excellent example of “lighter, quicker, cheaper.” With movable tables and chairs, minigolf, yoga classes and a beer garden, the station turns passersby into regular “customers.”
For Activate Union Station, entries range from hammocks along the arcade to live painting shows. The winning plan will be the one that most effectively changes people’s perceptions of the station as simple commuter thoroughfare to an appealing after-work or lunchtime destination. The ultimate goal of the contest is to start a discussion about how to permanently transform this iconic building into a neighborhood hub. Like Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station or Washington, D.C.’s Union Station, Chicago’s has the space and the location to develop into a shopping and dining destination. The winner of the Activate Union Station contest can help kick-start that conversation.
“The best entries will be those that turn this sleepy giant into the people magnet it really should be,” said Marisa Novara, MPC program director. “From an interactive gallery to an urban dance hall, whatever ‘it’ is, we’ve called on creative thinkers and doers to show Chicago the great potential we have in Union Station. By voting online for their favorite project, people send a message that they care about the future of Chicago’s Union Station.”
With over 120,000 daily passengers—more traffic than Midway Airport—the audience is there. All that’s lacking are the ideas. The public voting phase of the contest offers residents and visitors alike the opportunity to voice their opinions on the future of Chicago’s Union Station. For the city and Amtrak to invest in the big projects, we first need to show them that the little ones—the “lighter, quicker, cheaper” ones—will draw crowds.
Public voting starts Friday, July 26, and ends Wednesday, July 31, at activateunionstation.com. The winners will be announced Monday, Aug. 5.