One of Chicago's main pulls are its geographic attributes - neighbourhoods divided by green spaces, the skyscraper-packed downtown that hugs a 22,300 mi² lake, with walkways alongside rivers - yet by far its winning feature is its people. Chicago is Illinois' biggest city, but its not the capital - this is because of it's relatively new growth, with the city absorbing different immigrant and ethnic groups to create a unique character.

"My favourite spaces are where you'll see the city reflected in the audience, or who is at the bar. I think the country is at its best is when we are in radically mixed spaces," says Kevin Coval, an writer, poet and filmmaker. "I'm a hip-hop kid, I believe that the mix is the illest, right? That's what made the culture so fresh. You create a collage of culture - a new pastiche - that becomes something that you've never seen before."

While Chicago is hyper-segregated, it is culture that creates spaces of overlap and expression. "There’s this constant ingenuity of people, place makers, culture makers, creatives doing what city planners don’t often think of: ensuring that people come together in small ways on a regular basis," says Coval. "That is where the excitement of the city is, where the best stuff happens, in spaces that are mixed geographically, socioeconomically, and ethnically."

Below, he shares his favourite spots to go in the city.