The People's Canopy is architecture for events and as events. They are retractable canopies that can be cycled by citizens, paraded through the city, and expanded over the length of entire streets, linking disconnected public spaces. The installation is two-story high and seats up to 10 cyclists. The design references expandable street food canopies popular in Southern China. It is designed to collapse to the size of a double-decker bus so that it can be pedaled from one location to another. A canopy can open like an accordion to 12-meters in length at a span of 10-meters to cover entire streets.

The project was first commissioned in 2015 by the city of Preston in the UK and by In Certain Places, an arts program for urban interventions and events with the aim of connecting people and rejuvenating the declining urban center. The People’s Canopy was later installed in Hong Kong as part of the Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture, and in Leuven, Belgium for the YOUtopia Festival. The canopies will be continually used for many years in both Preston and Leuven, sometimes dispersed in different locations and sometimes gathered collectively for large events.