This two-mile elevated railroad embankment runs between 58th and 59th streets from South Wallace Avenue to South Hoyne Street and was formerly used by Norfolk Southern Railway. In 2013 the city approved Norfolk Southern’s rail yard expansion project; in return, the city gained back the derelict railway line, providing new opportunities for community and recreational use. Organizations such as Active Transportation Alliance, Grow Greater Englewood, and the urban planning firm Teska Associates have facilitated discussions among residents and stakeholders to investigate how spaces like the former rail line can best serve the neighborhood.

Current initiatives in the area include hundreds of large lots sold to residents through the City’s Large Lot Program, investment in public schools and local parks, streetscape and road improvements, and public art installations along the Halsted Green Line stations. The particularities of the sites, as well as the studioʼs goals, demand this type of collaborative work. The student proposals herein inform urban and architectural design solutions that go hand-in-hand with these initiatives while responding to the ecological, financial, and cultural nuances of the neighborhood.