HOOPCycle Mobile Basketball Court Debuts at Milan Design Week to Revitalize Neighborhoods

A redesigned version of the HOOPCycle mobile basketball court will debut in Italy during Milan Design Week. The original installation, created by American artists and MIT professors Marisa Morán Jahn and Rafi Segal, is a pedal-powered cargo bike that transforms urban spaces into inclusive playgrounds. It permanently resides at the National Public Housing Museum in Chicago, which commissioned it. The project features two baskets, including one vertical hoop referencing the pre-Columbian Maya and Aztec ball game pok-ta-pok. In Milan, the initiative is spearheaded by the Corvetto Street Basket Academy (CSBA), a non-profit promoting sports for social inclusion in the Corvetto district. Funding comes from DOLE Italia, with the Italian design collective IlVespaio collaborating on the redesign using recycled plastic for backboards. The mobile court will tour three Milan locations from April 19 to 25: Piazza Castello, Piazza Olivetti, and Piazzale Gabrio Rosa. Activities include open shooting challenges and community events involving CSBA youth. CSBA founders Vincenzo Belluomo and Giovanni Venegoni emphasize using basketball to build positive neighborhood identity and address educational gaps for children aged 8-14. The project aims to demonstrate how underutilized playgrounds can become community resources. Post-festival, HOOPCycle may travel to other Italian cities for community events.