territory
Your City. Your Future. Design It.
Your City. Your Future. Design It.

Adults step back. Young people lead.

In Territory’s urban design studio young people agest 14-24 are working as a team, getting valuable workforce experience, and bringing their lived experience to the regeneration of the west side.

The City Designed By Young People For Everyone

At Territory young people are transforming sidewalks and city owned land by designing and building human scaled spaces where young people and everyone can connect and feel valued.

our mission

Territory is a youth-led place-based design studio where young people are building better futures for themselves and their communities through the hands-on practice of design.

Territory’s home base is in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood, a longstanding intergenerational community in a historically segregated city. Austin identifies as predominantly African American with a growing Latino population.

Territory needs your help

Territory is a design haven for young people. Through real public projects, they are building skills and opening doors to career pathways, gaining leadership opportunities, and promoting intergenerational collaboration and understanding. We need your help to ensure that our doors are open five days a week, as a safe, reliable creative space for the next generation of leaders.

Propose a Collaboration

Working in public, Territory youth collaborate with community partners, city agencies, artists, architects and planners as they develop their ideas from vision to reality