PlayStreets Chicago – For Healthier and Stronger Community

PlayStreets in Chicago is a collaborative initiative for healthier and stronger communities by creating safe and accessible residential play areas for kids to be active, to learn, and for neighbors to come together.

A grant program from the Chicago Department of Public Health supports community-based organizations to provide local leadership in the development of PlayStreets in targeted community areas. A permit program allows residents to establish short-term traffic restrictions on their streets to use as pop-up recreation spaces.

Healthy Chicago 2.0 PlayStreets Grants

playstreets chicago

Since 2012, the Chicago Department of Public Health has issued summer implementation grants and offered technical support to various community-based organizations for the development of PlayStreets in targeted community areas.

These grants serve as one of several strategies CDPH leads as part of Healthy Chicago 2.0, a plan to advance health equity across Chicago’s neighborhoods by bridging service gaps and looking at root causes for disparities in health outcomes.

Implementing community-based organizations will help organize residents to create safe, accessible environments where youth and families can be physically active, learn, create, come together, and have fun. CDPH’s annual grants are expected to sponsor and create more than 150 such PlayStreets activations over the summer months through more than two dozen community-based organizations.

Presented in Partnership

Powered by

  • Healthy Chicago – Department of Public Health

Facilitated by

  • Gads Hill Center
  • World Sport Chicago

North/West Region Partners

  • Boys and Girls Club of Logan Square
  • Breakthrough
  • BUILD, Inc.
  • Cary T AME Church/Jesus World Center Church
  • Centro Romero
  • Chicago Youth Centers – Epstein
  • Chinese Mutual Aid Association
  • Gads Hill Center
  • Garfield Park Community Council
  • Kells Park Community Council
  • LUCHA
  • Mary Crane Centers
  • Northwest Side Housing Center
  • Universidad Popular
  • Westside Housing Authority

South Region Partners

  • Be the Movement Youth Network
  • Brighton Park Neighborhood Council
  • Centro Romero Juan Diego
  • Claretian Associates
  • Demoiselle 2 Femme
  • 1st Holy Zion M. B. Church/Hopeful Presence Outreach
  • Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation
  • Hyde Park Kenwood Legends
  • Southwest Organizing Project
  • The Community Builders
  • Woodlawn Public Safety Alliance

Technical Support Regions

North & West Region

Facilitated by Gads Hill Centers, the North & West Region is defined as community Areas 1-32, 76, and 77 or those north of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal and Interstate 55.

You may also visit Gads Hill Center’s PlayStreets North & West Region page.

South Region

Facilitated by World Sport Chicago, the South Region is defined as community areas 33-75 or those south of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal and Interstate 55.

Planning Resources

Several free planning materials are available to help organizers in planning their activations!