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Launching The Green City Strategy
Strategy for a Green City,
January 2004
As we entered the new millennium, the Pennsylvania
Horticultural Society unveiled a "Green City Strategy" for
Philadelphia. Based on the 30-year work of PHS's Philadelphia Green
program, the Strategy is a distillation of extensive experience in
reclaiming vacant land, community greening, and long-term landscape
management. Rooted in the premise that open spaces are essential to
the viability of the city, the Strategy calls for a significant
investment in Philadelphia's green infrastructure as a tool for
revitalization.
"The Green City Strategy considers greening as
fundamental, not only in any serious effort to improve the quality
of life in Philadelphia, but also for the city's economic
development," says J. Blaine Bonham, Jr., executive vice president
of PHS. Indeed, research from Chicago, Los Angeles, and St. Louis
shows that housing values, home ownership, and median household
income all increase when there is close proximity to green spaces,
while violent crimes and property crimes decrease. Investing in a
greener city promises other benefits as well, according to Patrice
Carroll, metropolitan initiative coordinator for the USDA Forest
Service, Northeast Area. "Studies show that greening-especially in
high-density areas like Philadelphia-offers a broad range of social
and environmental benefits as well, including stress reduction and
improved air quality," she says.
The Green City Strategy includes a considerable
effort to address the problem of Philadelphia's burgeoning amount of
vacant land, which contributes to the downward spiral of blighted
neighborhoods. It calls for clearing vast amounts of trash and
debris from untended land and transforming it into clean, usable
spaces that can attract new development or become permanent open
space. It promotes the enhancement of community gardens,
neighborhood parks and gateways, and commercial corridors, as well
as beautifying communities with colorful containers and offering
horticultural education and training opportunities.
In 2001, PHS was invited to become a consultant to
Mayor John Street's Neighborhood Transformation Initiative (NTI), an
ambitious citywide anti-blight campaign that includes-among other
objectives-the demolition of vacant buildings and removal of debris
from abandoned land. The city subsequently adopted the Green City
Strategy as part of NTI and, in June 2003, awarded a $4 million
contract to PHS to begin implementation of the Strategy, with the
aim of making a substantial impact in a single year-from July 2003
through June 2004.
Taking advantage of this unprecedented commitment
from the city, PHS proposed specific projects for fiscal year 2004
that will dramatically improve the appearance of selected
neighborhoods. The components of this initial phase of the Green
City Strategy reflect key priorities for NTI, a three-pronged
approach that includes: concentrated greening in six target areas,
community-based vacant land maintenance, and citywide greening
projects. These efforts are integrated with PHS's ongoing work,
leveraging further support and longstanding partnerships, such as
those with The Pew Charitable Trusts, the William Penn Foundation,
and the city's Office of Housing and Neighborhood Preservation.
The work completed so far demonstrates that
greening can yield dramatic results and conveys the message that the
city is serious about its mission of neighborhood transformation.
The immediate visual improvements bring hope to residents of
formerly blighted areas and help build support for investment in the
city's green spaces. Following is a mid-year progress report.
Target Neighborhoods
Working with the city, PHS chose six "target
neighborhoods" for concentrated greening efforts, using the
following criteria: plans for demolition of abandoned buildings,
strong community-based organizations, a history of work with
Philadelphia Green, a concentration of public and private
investment, a supply of green infrastructure, and geographical
distribution. The neighborhoods include Eastern North Philadelphia,
North Central Philadelphia, West Philadelphia/Mantua, South
Philadelphia, Frankford, and East Mount Airy. Following is a
mid-year progress report.
Vacant Land Stabilization
Goal: One
thousand parcels (1 million square feet) of vacant land "cleaned and
greened"
Completed to date: 660,000 square feet stabilized; 60%
of stabilization work underway
Since 1999 PHS has partnered with the city's
Empowerment Zone office to reclaim hundreds of parcels of
trash-strewn vacant land in the American Street Empowerment Zone in
North Philadelphia as well as in the New Kensington community.
Through this experience, Philadelphia Green has developed a highly
successful model for "stabilizing" vacant land by replacing
unsightly abandoned lots with "clean & green" landscapes of
grass, ringed with trees and wood fencing. Coupled with the city's
efforts to demolish abandoned buildings in the six target
neighborhoods, stabilizing vacant land in these communities will
immediately improve their appearance, discourage further
deterioration, and build momentum for other
enhancements.
Signature Greening Projects
Goal: One
high-profile greening project in each of the six target
neighborhoods
Completed to date: "Ridge on the Rise" event
transformed four blocks in Strawberry Mansion
As more and more vacant land becomes "clean &
green" and more neighborhood blocks are transformed, community
interest in greening increases. This creates the opportunity for
community engagement in higher-profile greening projects, such as
gateways and other public spaces. Working closely with NTI staff and
City Council representatives, PHS will identify one key greening
opportunity in each of the six target neighborhoods.
The first project was completed on September 27
along the 2100 through 2400 blocks of Ridge Avenue, in the
Strawberry Mansion section of the city. Working with the Cecil B.
Moore/Ridge Avenue Business Association; Ridge on the Rise, a
neighborhood business association; Project H.O.M.E., a community
development corporation that offers housing and support services;
and neighborhood residents, PHS led a one-day effort to stabilize
vacant lots and plant flowers in 30 container barrels along the
sidewalks.
Neighborhood activist Juanita Story-Jones was
pleased with the results: "Greening is something we've needed for
years," she said. "It makes this place feel like more of a
community. It shows that this is a place for investment, a place to
live, a place to enjoy."
Community-based Vacant Land Maintenance
Goal: Hire community-based organizations to
maintain 1,760 vacant parcels
Completed to date: Eight
organizations hired; 1,900 lots being maintained
The city has completed a surface cleaning of
31,000 vacant lots and will clean an additional 1,000 parcels of
land. To encourage citizen stewardship of these lots, the city asked
PHS to develop a community-based maintenance program, which will
hire local organizations to mow the lots and remove trash. This
fall, PHS selected eight organizations in four sections of
Philadelphia that will be responsible for performing basic
housekeeping of these parcels.
"This approach gives residents a direct role in
improving the appearance of their own environment, investing the
community in the success of the project," says Philadelphia Green
associate director Maitreyi Roy. "We hope it will become a model for
ongoing vacant land management efforts citywide."
Citywide Greening
The Green City Strategy calls for expanding the
urban greening efforts that have been a hallmark of PHS's work
through its Philadelphia Green program. Key categories of citywide
greening include:
· Greening Neighborhood Commercial
Corridors
· Neighborhood Parks Revitalization
· New Community
Gardens
· Street Beautification Projects-"Garden Blocks"
·
Education and Training Opportunities
Commercial Corridors
Goal: 6 sites
Completed to date: 5 sites selected; planning underway
Commercial corridor greening projects focus on
landscape enhancements along strategic streets that can serve as a
neighborhood's economic lifeline. For maximum impact, the Green City
Strategy concentrates these efforts in areas where community
redevelopment efforts are already underway.
Corridor greening projects are continuing at two
sites-along Baltimore Avenue in the University City section of West
Philadelphia and Germantown Avenue in Mount Airy. The city will
provide NTI funds for four additional corridor improvements, and PHS
has selected three: Ogontz Avenue in West Oak Lane; Girard Avenue
near 30th Street; and Frankford & Cottman in the city's Mayfair
section. Landscape designs are being developed by PHS staff and
include traffic islands, small "pocket" parks, and container
plantings.
Parks
Goal: 23 neighborhood parks
enhanced
Completed to date: Project support for 31 parks
For the past 10 years, Philadelphia Green's Parks
Revitalization Project has worked in partnership with local
volunteer groups and the city's Department of Recreation to
revitalize and improve neighborhood parks throughout the city. The
Parks Project also initiated a new partnership with the Fairmount
Park Commission, which oversees city parks not under the
jurisdiction of the Department of Recreation.
Gardens
Goal: 20 New Gardens; 6
"Keystone Gardens" improved
Completed to date: 10 new garden
sites identified
PHS is committed to the creation and support of
community gardens and to teaching gardening skills to city
residents. Funds from NTI will support the creation of 20 new
community gardens. In addition, PHS will complete enhancement
projects at six "Keystone Gardens" -long-standing, large-scale
community gardens that receive ongoing Philadelphia Green support.
Garden Blocks
Goal: 30 "Garden Blocks,"
residential streets beautified with planters
Completed to date:
More than 300 containers placed along 16 blocks
Garden Block projects are simple beautification
endeavors that immediately improve the visual appeal of communities
and bring neighbors together, in many cases for the first time. For
maximum impact, PHS is working with clusters of contiguous blocks.
Each block receives one planter per household, with at least 20 to
30 households participating on each block. PHS provides containers,
soil and plants, assists with planting and maintenance, as well as
training where needed. Two clusters have been completed, along East
Lehigh Street and North 58th Street, in North Philadelphia.
Education & Training
Goal: 12 garden
workshops
Completed to date: 6 workshops
PHS's courses and workshops-such as the
longstanding Garden Tenders and Tree Tenders training projects-help
city dwellers beautify their communities through horticulture, as
well as build the capacity and independence of neighborhood groups.
To reach more people, PHS created the City Gardening Series, which
includes a new partnership with the Free Library of Philadelphia.
Workshops will be presented at library branches, many in
neighborhoods not previously served by PHS.
Looking Forward
The Green City Strategy holds tremendous promise
for Philadelphia's continuing revitalization. Its long-term success,
says Mayor John Street, "will be measured by the number of residents
who choose to stay in their neighborhoods rather than move out of
the city." But the Strategy's immediate impact is evident not only
in the much-improved appearance of many neighborhoods, but also in
the hearts and minds of residents, who are beginning to view these
communities in a whole new light.
"Greening the lots is one way to bring back the
beauty that was once here," says Alison Gardner of Tioga United.
"It's uplifting. It shows the potential for what could be."
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