Chicago is a city designed in a very orderly fashion. The street layout is a seemingly endless grid, made up of a repeating pattern of rectangular blocks. Each block is bisected by an alley, which serves the purpose of being a place where trash is thrown away, and as somewhere to mask the overhead wires that make up the electrical grid of the city. The alley is a place that hides the essential parts of Chicago that allow it to function as a whole. This modern city has some of the worlds best architecture. So, from the outside, everything seems to look streamlined, clean, and functional. However, this look depends on the alleyway to conceal the unwanted elements of this architecture. The alley exists to make the rest of the city appear cleaner and more purposeful. Alleys are the capillaries in our network of roads. They are necessary in this city, yet they are looked upon so unfavorably. However, I think the architecture elements within alleys are beautiful because of the essential purpose they serve.

It was a cold, sunny day when I took these photos. I walked south of the UIC campus, into the Italian Village neighborhood. Though I’m familiar with this neighborhood, when I entered its network of alleys, I felt myself getting lost quickly. It felt as though I had entered into an entirely different city. Each building seemed much more bare and windowless from this perspective, as if to hide the ugly infrastructure from it’s inhabitants. Wires formed a web over my head, clearly showcasing the complexity of Chicago’s utility grid. Later, I travelled to other neighborhoods and found much of the same views. What I’ve found is that these alleyways seem to tell a story about the history of Chicago. While buildings are rebuilt and neighborhoods change, their alleys will always show their roots in the grid.