Neon City

This one night pop-up event was developed in response to a placemaking initiative to bring attention to underutilized and blighted public spaces and inspire change. For one night, Chicago’s Polish Triangle, an underused and uninspiring plaza—despite its location at the center of a busy three-way intersection—was transformed into a haven of activity through a pop-up party featuring lights, music, brightly painted day-glo furniture, art, food trucks, a DJ and a graffiti artist. Printed collateral, social media and word-of-mouth drew a diverse and enthusiastic crowd, leading to immediate plans for a permanent light installation and prompting the Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce to revisit their long-term vision and previous ideas for the site and surrounding area.