Chicago Expanding Outdoor Dining and Creative Spaces

March 19, 2021 by Sara Wilkerson
Chicago Expanding Outdoor Dining and Creative Spaces

CHICAGO – The City of Chicago announced a new initiative called Chicago Alfresco, which seeks to not only expand the city’s outdoor dining program but also allow businesses and non-profit organizations to design creative long-term outdoor spaces. The initiative is part of the city’s plan to promote neighborhood tourism and open its streets to public life, community, the arts and more. 

“Outdoor dining has become a lifeline for so many of our neighborhoods, but not all of them have been able to take advantage of our safe, outdoor dining programs,” said Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot in a statement. 

Lightfoot continued, “And by creating and transforming public spaces, the Chicago Alfresco initiative will significantly increase our city’s ability to fully revitalize the public way. 

“Last year, we started this program out of necessity to help bars and restaurants stay open safely, now we’ve seen how well this program works and how much the city loves it, so we want to keep it going.” 

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chicago created a special permitting process for bars and restaurants in order to increase dining spaces in accordance with safety regulations. 

As a result of the permit process, bars and restaurants were permitted to operate in private parking lots, sidewalks and in closed off streets. 

With the new Chicago Alfresco initiative, the city is asking chambers of commerce and community groups to design spaces that promote outdoor dining or that highlight what the city calls, “community-focused placemaking.” 

According to Choose Chicago’s information page about Chicago Alfresco, placemaking is, “the iterative process of transforming common spaces into community places by cultivating a sense of ownership, belonging, and safety through community engagement, physical transformation, and the nurturing of community capacity and local leadership.” 

For groups interested in designing spaces for the city, a limited number of grants will be available for eligible projects. Diaego, an international beverage company, has partnered with Chicago to award grants with awards up to $250,000 per applicant. 

“Chicago has never needed its streets more, and we’ve never needed more out of our streets,” said Chicago Department of Transportation Commissioner Gia Biagi. 

Biagi continued, “As the crises mounted last year, we supported neighborhoods with streets open for healthy activity, community connection, and for safe, outdoor dining. 

“As we emerge from the shadow of the pandemic, we must continue to put our streets in the service of what people and small businesses need in their neighborhoods to keep everybody safe and moving while keeping us all together.” The first round of project proposals from neighborhood communities will be accepted by the city until April 15. Visit chicago.gov/alfresco for more information about the initiative and its eligibility requirements for project proposals.

A+
a-
  • Chicago
  • COVID-19
  • entertainment
  • outdoor dining
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Cities

    May 14, 2025
    by Dan McCue
    Former NYC Mayor to Pay $330K for Misusing Public Funds in White House Bid

    WASHINGTON — Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, once a rising progressive light in the Democratic Party, has... Read More

    WASHINGTON — Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, once a rising progressive light in the Democratic Party, has agreed to pay $329,794 to settle an ethics board finding that he misspent public funds for security during his failed run for president six years ago.... Read More

    May 5, 2025
    by Dan McCue
    Washington Commanders to Host 2027 NFL Draft on National Mall

    WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump was joined at the White House Monday by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Washington Commanders owner... Read More

    WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump was joined at the White House Monday by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris, and Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser to announce the NFL draft will be held on the National Mall in 2027. “It’s going to be... Read More

    April 25, 2025
    by Tom Ramstack
    Government Lawyers Mistakenly Admit New York Congestion Pricing Is Legal

    WASHINGTON — The Trump administration’s lawyers appear to have booby-trapped their own chances this week of defeating New York City’s... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Trump administration’s lawyers appear to have booby-trapped their own chances this week of defeating New York City’s congestion pricing program that charges motorists for driving downtown. They inadvertently filed a memo with the court overseeing a lawsuit between the state and federal government... Read More

    March 4, 2025
    by Dan McCue
    Justices Hold EPA Exceeded Its Authority With SF Water Permit

    WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled the Environmental Protection Agency exceeded its authority by adding vague and superfluous... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled the Environmental Protection Agency exceeded its authority by adding vague and superfluous requirements to San Francisco’s wastewater system permit. The ruling could have sweeping implications as many major cities across the United States have public waste systems similar... Read More

    February 19, 2025
    by Dan McCue
    Transportation Chief Nixes NYC Congestion Pricing Program

    WASHINGTON — The Trump administration revoked federal approval of New York City’s controversial congestion pricing program, killing a plan imposed... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Trump administration revoked federal approval of New York City’s controversial congestion pricing program, killing a plan imposed to reduce traffic in midtown Manhattan and pay for upgrades to the city’s aged mass transit system. The program, which was championed by Gov. Kathy Hochul,... Read More

    Protesters in Cities Across US Rally Against Trump's Policies, Project 2025 and Elon Musk

    Demonstrators gathered in cities across the U.S. on Wednesday to protest the Trump administration's early actions, decrying everything from the... Read More

    Demonstrators gathered in cities across the U.S. on Wednesday to protest the Trump administration's early actions, decrying everything from the president's immigration crackdown to his rollback of transgender rights and a proposal to forcibly transfer Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. Protesters in Philadelphia and at state capitols in California, Minnesota, Michigan, Texas,... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top