More than a mile of city streets in the Clarke Square neighborhood closed to automobile traffic for Ciclovia MKE on a recent Sunday. Despite the sweltering heat, the streets were filled with opportunities to engage in a variety of sports, games, art and music. Families were able to ride their bikes on automobile-free streets and engage in other outdoor activities along Cesar E. Chavez Drive to National Avenue. The event was held in partnership with the Clarke Square Neighborhood Initiative (CSNI), Safe & Sound, and the Cesar Chavez Drive Business Improvement District, among others.

The first Ciclovia launched in Bogotá, Colombia more than four decades ago, according to Ian Bautista, executive director of CSNI. “Since then, streets in neighborhoods and cities all over the world have been returned to the people and transformed into inclusive spaces of celebration and recreation,” Bautista said.

“We’re thrilled with the continued growth of Ciclovia MKE and proud of the contribution that this local initiative makes to health, community development and social equity worldwide,” he added.