OnWord’s New Park for “Non-Traditional Skaters” in Chicago

Like many places, Chicago’s skate scene is dominated by straight, white cis men, oftentimes leaving women, people of color, gender-nonconforming and queer individuals feeling unwelcome or intimidated in skateparks. OnWord, a collective on a mission to empower “non-traditional skaters,” seeks to change that. For their most recent project, the group built their own pop-up park, called OnSite, where all people can feel safe and welcome. …

FDR Skatepark: A Visual History

Fifteen years of DIY evolution under an ordinary overpass outside Philadelphia

In the early 1990’s skateboarding had found a special place in Philadelphia, Love Park. Kids young and old traveled from around the world to skate its pristine ledges and infamous fountain gap. And while the struggling skateboard community embraced the park, the city felt otherwise. To “clean up” downtown Philly the city hired security at Love Park and slapped some concrete under an I-95 overpass …