Territory NFP has been awarded a $250,000 grant to develop a youth-driven project that will transform a long-vacant lot at 557 N. Central in Austin into a community hub focused on design, public safety and intergenerational engagement.
Territory NFP, a place-based design studio for young people, owns the property for the project it has dubbed Creating Space. The grant came from the Chicago Community Trust.
The funding comes after years of youth involvement and community input and will support environmental remediation, creative installations and programs that allow local teens to shape the space and gain hands-on experience in design and urban planning. The site was previously a multi-family home before demolition and much of the structure remains buried underground.
The news was discussed at a meeting at the Austin Branch of the Chicago Public Library on Wednesday, where attendees explored community stewardship and placemaking plans.
“It’s a huge honor for the young people here who have been putting forward their ideas, but also for all of you who have attended these meetings, advocated and shared your input because we could only accomplish this with everyone’s involvement,” said Helen Slade, executive director of Territory NFP.
The effort to shape plans will begin in 2026.The team plans to test prototypes, install and finish modified containers and work closely with youth and neighbors to prioritize the most needed elements.
By the summer of 2027, the site is expected to transition toward community ownership, giving youth and neighbors a central role in shaping and caring for the space.
During the meeting, participants broke up into groups to discuss what community stewardship could look like and how youth and neighbors might care for the space. At the meeting, Ryan Barrett, senior commercial account manager for Christy Webber Landscapes, discussed his visit to the site to assess construction costs and limitations for the placemaking project, while also getting to know the youth team.
“As a father of three daughters myself, seeing children engaged in the design process, I recognize that you all are the next generation who will carry this work forward. You are going to help shape the world we live in and it will benefit us all,” Barrett said.
The vision for Creating Space is to build a gathering space, a welcoming community area where people can socialize and foster intergenerational connection and understanding.
The design team, led by Nicole Castro, the lead studio facilitator for Territory NFP, introduced her team and shared their experiences in the Territory youth program, highlighting how it nurtures creativity, collaboration, and community engagement. Both the intro team (ages 14–16) and advanced team (ages 16–17) presented projects they had developed, including ideas for modified shipping containers, community spaces and design concepts aimed at making Austin a more connected and welcoming neighborhood. Team members emphasized the program’s focus on learning, providing feedback and contributing to a community-driven, creative space.
Ashanti Leach, who heads Territory NFP’s AmeriCorps VISTA in Community Development and Facilities Planning, said that over the past four years the team activated the space with events, design iterations, and community feedback, addressing issues like trash, safety, and public use. They also collaborated with local districts and reopened a woodshop to provide resources and opportunities for youth engagement, while considering broader community challenges like drug use and food access.
Dr. L. David Stewart, director of Design Practice, outlined the Creating Space project and emphasized the community’s priorities: public safety, collective care and gathering space. He noted that ensuring safe, inclusive public areas was a key focus in the initial student-designed iteration and stressed that collective care and community input would guide the project moving forward.
He said: “Earlier this summer, we held what we call ‘space conversations.’ In those discussions, we learned a lot about what everyone needed to hear. One of the great things about that process is that sometimes tension is necessary to grow and move forward. The community got to hear the youth and the youth got to hear the community. Through that dialogue, we all agreed that this is our space. We are the owners in the legal sense, but we also own it metaphorically in Austin. We all have a responsibility to contribute to the care of the space.”