The United Center arena in Chicago, designed by HOK Sport (now Populous), Marmon Mok, and W.E. Simpson Company, was built between 1992 and 1994. With a capacity of over 20,000 seats for sports and general events, it includes more than 6,000 parking spaces in lots surrounding the arena. These parking lots span approximately 55 acres (over 22 hectares) in Chicago's West Side (1901 W. Madison Street). A new master plan, named the 1901 Project, aims to transform this space into a mixed-use neighborhood. Led by design collective RIOS, with contributions from landscape architecture studio Field Operations, this long-term, multi-phase project aims to connect neighborhoods by creating new public spaces and infrastructure on a metropolitan scale. The proposal recently received approval from the Chicago Plan Commission.

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According to the United Center Joint Venture, the design draws inspiration from Chicago's motto, Urbs in Horto (City in a Garden). The 1901 Project includes housing, retail, entertainment, and public open spaces across more than 55 acres of privately owned land surrounding the arena, transforming a previously enclosed area into an interconnected, open neighborhood. The project's client describes this $7 billion private investment as a "catalytic development" intended to activate the district year-round as a destination to live, work, and play. It represents a major shift for an underutilized area of Chicago, which currently serves primarily as a parking zone for event-driven automobile traffic.

In contrast to its current function, RIOS emphasizes that the new development would incorporate historical urban features and restore pedestrian activity. The firm highlights walkability as a key principle, incorporating open pedestrian spaces, including a park and walking paths, as part of an integrated urban design strategy. According to Sebastian Salvadó, Creative Director and Partner at RIOS, the project features "a network of plazas and paseos that echo the city's pre-automobile urban fabric", linked by a continuous elevated park draped over the district's rooftops. More than 10 acres of the masterplan are reserved for integrated public spaces accessible for everyone, including the signature elevated park designed by Field Operations.

Following approval from the Chicago Plan Commission, the project's next steps include review by the zoning committee and final consideration by the Chicago City Council. If approved, construction of the first phase is expected to begin in spring 2025. This initial phase includes a 6,000-seat theater-style music hall designed by RIOS, an elevated park spanning more than 10 acres (around 4 hectares), redesigned parking facilities, bike lanes, pedestrian paths, and a mix of hospitality and retail buildings. Future phases of the project plan to introduce housing, an expanded multi-modal transportation infrastructure, and targeted projects focused on the enhancement of public spaces established in the first phase. The United Center estimates the project's full completion within 10 years.

The project represents an update to one of Chicago's largest infrastructural spaces, adapting it to contemporary environmental and urban needs. Large surface parking areas, which in the U.S. have been estimated to occupy approximately 5% of the land, have been identified as contributors to urban heat islands. The redevelopment of these spaces has been increasingly explored in urban regeneration efforts, often in comparison to land designated for housing construction. New approaches to parking infrastructure can be seen globally, such as the laminated wood garage by Herrmann + Bosch Architekten or the use of rammed earth in the Neuenburg am Rhein parking garage by MONO Architekten. Designs such as these aim to enhance human interaction in spaces originally designed for cars while mitigating their socio-environmental impact.