Life Courts is a regional initiative led by The Place Institute to recover and reactivate community sports courts across Latin America through a place-based, people-centered approach.
Across the region, sports courts are among the most common and accessible public spaces. They are where young people play, families gather, and community life unfolds. Yet many of these spaces are underused or neglected, not because communities do not care, but because they lack the support, design, and activation needed to thrive.
Life Courts are being developed as a response to this challenge
Building on the experience and success of court-based placemaking initiatives implemented in partnership with Fundación Placemaking, this program seeks to scale a proven methodology beyond a single country and into a broader Latin American context. The goal is to move from isolated interventions toward a regional program that supports communities in reclaiming their courts as active, inclusive, and meaningful places.
The program is grounded in a simple but powerful idea: courts are not just infrastructure, they are social places. When designed and activated with communities, they can support physical activity, cultural expression, local identity, and everyday social life.
The Place Institute is focused on building the right structure, partnerships, and long-term vision before sharing detailed implementation plans. This allows the program to grow with integrity, adaptability, and respect for local contexts.
Life Courts reflects The Place Institute’s broader mission: to support communities through the creation of places that strengthen democracy, belonging, and everyday life.