Guerilla urbanists are building DIY bus stop benches in Chicago

Looking to bring attention to Chicago’s lack of public amenities, members of the volunteer-run Northwest Neighborhood Alliance built, painted and placed two benches at bus stops in Chicago’s Ukrainian Village. The benches are not officially sanctioned or permitted, but the group hopes they will be the start of a network of DIY bus benches across the city if authorities do not remove them.

The benches, built by NNA members Sam Kovnar and Eddie Lehwald, are painted the colors of the Ukrainian flag. Kovnar said his bench cost between $30 and $40 to construct, and that he intended for the benches to make it easier for older adults, disabled people and people with children to use the bus stops. Lehwald said he hoped officials would see the initiative as “a chance to engage with neighbors about how the city can work better for them,” Quinn Myers writes for Block Club Chicago. 

The Chicago Department of Transportation did not respond to Block Club Chicago’s request for comment about the benches. However, Alderman Daniel La Spata, whose ward included the new benches, confirmed his office would not remove them.