North Philadelphia : Development News

In 2008, after two years of transition and multiple moves to make way for the Convention Center expansion, the Asian Arts Initiative moved into their current home at 1219 Vine Street. Now, nearly five years later, AAI is still looking for ways to make their presence known in "Chinatown North" (an area also referred to as the Loft District, Callowhill or Eraserhood).
 
AAI’s recent attempts to solidify the neighborhood's identity are rather ambitious -- the community-based arts center is aiming to revitalize four blocks of Pearl Street, an alleyway that runs from Broad to 10th just north of Vine Street. The goal is to turn the street into a public space, outdoor gallery and gathering spot, bringing together the area's diverse communities.
 
Currently in the early planning stages, the Pearl Street project has been on AAI's radar for a number of years. "Since we moved into this space we’ve been staring at Pearl Street outside our windows," says AAI Executive Director Gayle Isa. "The alleyway is a place you don't want to be right now. It has a reputation as dark and dangerous."
 
Until recently, the project was little more than an idea. "We were actually approached by a funder who was interested in partnering with us on one of our pet projects," says Isa. "We pitched the Pearl Street renovation and they were on board."
 
AAI is hiring Oakland-based landscape architect and artist Walter Hood -- he was in town recently collecting feedback from stakeholders along the alley. Hood will be back in Philadelphia this summer to conduct further research. Final designs are expected in the fall.
 
That group of stakeholders is exceptionally diverse: there's the homeless shelter Sunday Breakfast Mission, folks from the Philly Streets and Planning Departments, the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation (the group behind the upcoming Eastern Tower Community Center) and Post Brothers, the developers behind upcoming luxury condos along the alleyway.

"The constituents really reflect the diversity of the neighborhood," says Isa. "The alleyway is a chance to tie them together.... Everyone we've met with has had an overwhelming sense of enthusiasm. There is a lot more openness to working together than I would have expected."
 
Few details have been worked out, but the overall vision involves improved public space, public art, lighting improvements and multi-sensory programmed activities meant to enliven the street. Green features will also be included, with the hope of eventually connecting Pearl Street to the long-envisioned Reading Viaduct project.
 
Source: Gayle Isa, Executive Director, Asian Arts Initiative
Writer: Greg Meckstroth

Earlier this month, the prospect of land banking in Philadelphia made serious progress when Councilwoman María Quiñones Sánchez and Councilman Bill Green reintroduced enabling legislation in the City Council. Now, a diverse advocacy coalition of builders, civic associations, realtors, design professonals and other anti-blight organizations is urging the bill's immediate passage. To aid their cause, PennFuture, the Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporations (PACDC) and other allies have launched PhillyLandBank.org.

The establishment of a land bank allows a city to acquire or group parcels of land in a strategic manner, facilitating development opportunities. Most importantly for Philadelphia, it allows municipalities to acquire property while discharging liens and other claims, charges or fines in the process -- currently, many local properties languish, saddled by delinquient property tax bills.   
 
As Flying Kite has reported, land banking has long a topic of discussion in Philly. Many see it as an efficient strategy for dealing with the city's 40,000 vacant and abandoned properties. Currently, blighted properties drag down the total value of city real estate by $3.6 billion, or about $8,000 per household.

Up until recently, local land banking efforts have stalled -- mostly due to the fact that the state legislature had yet to authorize cities to establish them. That legislation passed the General Assembly in Harrisburg last October, finally giving cities this powerful tool and renewing the fight to bring a land bank to Philly.
 
PhillyLandBank.org is the movement's biggest advocacy tool to date. PennFuture's Andrew Sharp believes the website will allow higher levels of cooperation and communication between the diverse set of backers.
 
"The first thing we’re aiming for is getting a hearing on the bill in April," says Sharp. That hearing, he explains, is critical to reaching the group's goal of getting the bill passed by June.
 
Going forward, the website will send out emails, feature regular updates on the city's push to establish a land bank and offer lessons from land banks across the nation.

Source: Andrew Sharp, PennFuture
Writer: Greg Meckstroth

In some cities, land use planning and zoning are the last places you’d look for news on cutting edge innovations. Here in Philly, we know better. This April, the Philadelphia City Planning Commission (PCPC) will receive a Best Practice Award from the American Planning Association (APA) for their innovative efforts integrating planning and zoning processes.

PCPC recently coordinated three distinct planning efforts simultaneously: the Citizens Planning Institute, Philadelphia 2035, and a zoning code and map revision.  

"I’m not aware of any other comparable city doing such a comprehensive planning treatment in such a brief period of time," says CPC Executive Director Gary Jastrzab.

Jastrzab and his staff began tackling these projects nearly four years ago. "The last comprehensive plan or major zoning revision was in the 1960s, so it was time for a modernization," he explains.

Four years and countless public meetings, hearings, drafts and re-drafts later, Philadelphia now has a regulatory environment featuring those three profound tools. The Citizens Planning Institute, PCPC’s education and outreach entity, encourages leadership and participation among residents, educating them on urban planning in their communities. Philadelphia 2035, the city’s first comprehensive plan in over 50 years, includes 18 specific district plans either completed, underway or about to get started. Lastly, the city’s zoning reform included both a rewrite of the city’s 50-year-old code and multiple zoning map revisions as recommended in the ongoing Philadelphia 2035 district plans.

"In any city -- let alone one as large and politically complex as Philadelphia -- undertaking either a comprehensive plan, zoning code rewrite, or citizen planner leadership program, would have been a major accomplishment," explains APA Pennsylvania Awards Committee chairman Dennis Puko in a press release. "Philadelphia through 2011 to 2012 did all three, and integrated them to achieve the most positive outcomes."

The Best Practice award for Philadelphia’s Integrated Planning and Zoning Process will be presented at APA’s National Planning Conference in Chicago on Tuesday, April 16.
 
Source: Gary Jastrzab, Executive Director, City Planning Commission
Writer: Greg Meckstroth

North 28, a new-construction development in Brewerytown from MM Partners, was fully leased within six weeks this year. North 28’s success is now the rule in a neighborhood taking dramatic steps towards renewal.

MM Partners' Jacob Roller says North 28’s 15 units bring the developer’s total to 25 units for the year in the neighborhood, and 70 overall since they started working here. "Our projects keep getting bigger and bigger," he says. "The demand is here and we’re just trying to meet it."

In addition to the Bailey Street Arts Corridor (which we reported on a few months ago), one of the bigger projects that Roller expects to launch in the new year is 30 Baltz, a new-construction project that will create two single-family homes and eight apartments at 30th and Baltz Streets in the heart of Brewerytown.

Another is Cambridge Row, a rehab project of 10 single-family homes on the 2700 to 3000 blocks of Cambridge Street. MM Partners originally purchased the homes from PHA in partnership with the Fairmount CDC. Plans call for nine market-rate units and one affordable-housing unit.
 
Thanks to their residential successes, MM has dipped into commercial activity as well. "We have also brought eight new businesses to Girard Avenue," explains Roller, "mostly by filling vacant storefronts with Mugshots, a bike store, a pharmacy, Next American City, the artist Steve Powers' ICY Sign Co., the garden store Girard Supply Co., and our own office."   
 
Along with the promising residential projects the company has planned for the coming year, Roller notes that they'll "have a few exciting new businesses to announce in the new year as well." 
 
With all this activity, other developers are also getting into the action in Brewerytown. Recently, news broke that the historic St. Augustine Church at 27th Street and Girard Avenue will be converted into 16 residental units. Although details about that particular project have yet to emerge, Roller says the development is a sign of things to come for the neighborhood. "We’re excited about another developer coming into Brewerytown," says Roller. "It’s clear that a critical mass of people are starting to see the value of the neighborhood."   

Source: Jacob Roller, MM Partners
Writer: Greg Meckstroth
 

Philadelphia is blessed with solid bicycle, transit and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure in and around the city’s streets. True, there are always amenities on our wish list—a robust Bicycle Sharing program comes to mind—but on an American scale, Philly is well positioned when it comes to multi-modal accessibility. 

This past week, the transit picture just got a little richer with the long-awaited passage of the Complete Streets Bill by the Philadelphia City Council. 
 
The Bill is momentous for every Philadelphian who uses city streets on a daily basis. Whether you bike, walk, drive, use transit or get around on a wheelchair, this bill is aimed to benefit you and your long-term mobility.
 
"The Bill accommodates all users of the street," explains Alex Doty of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. "Look at Spruce and Pine Streets. Since the bike lanes were built, auto accidents have gone down and pedestrian safety has increased. It’s been beneficial for everyone."
 
Doty says the bill itself has two purposes. In the short-term, the bill will rationalize Philadelphia's traffic code regarding bicycles and bike lanes. This means better fining procedures and clearer communication to both the public and enforcement officials as to the actual details of the law.
 
In the long-term, it will require all public and private developments to consider their impact on streets and sidewalks. The Streets Department is currently fleshing out a Complete Streets checklist that each project will have to adhere to, ensuring all users of the street are accommodated by new developments or street improvements.    
 
"It’s a big step towards getting some place even better," says Doty on the prospects of Philadelphia streets becoming friendlier for all users. 
 
And according to Doty, that "place" is only a few months away. "The Streets Department is in the process of finishing the checklist" he says. "It will have to go through a public comment period and then be ready for final approval."

Source: Alex Doty, Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia
Writer: Greg Meckstroth

When you don’t live in the neighborhood where you work, it can be easy to commute in, do your job and go home without ever getting to know the surrounding neighborhood and its offerings. Up in Frankford, a part of town flush with local businesses, Aria Health is seeking to change this pattern. Earlier this year, the company partnered with the Frankford CDC, bringing neighborhood merchants to Aria’s Frankford campus to showcase their products and services to employees.  

When we covered this story in April, the program had yet to officially start, but the CDC and Aria were both eager to get going. Six months later, and two events down, early signs point towards success.  

"We've had two furniture businesses both make sales," explains Michelle Feldman, commercial corridor manager at the CDC. "We've had a baker sell a whole set of pies for Thanksgiving. And just yesterday, we had a silk screen and embroidery shop make three potential sales."

With these early successes, the program is really building momentum. "In just a few months, the Aria staff has come to know about the program," says Feldman. "I know several have come to look forward to it."

Aria employees are seeing the benefits of the program—now branded "Business Spotlight"—as well. "I have worked here for almost four years and did not know that right across the street from Aria is a shoemaker," says Kathleen Milligan, an executive secretary at Aria Health. "I have since had four pairs of shoes re-tipped and [given] new heals!" Other notable businesses that have been "spotlighted" include Gilbert's Upholstery and Antiques, Frankford Friends School, Cramer's Uniforms and Mezalick Design Studio (profiled in the November 27 issue of Flying Kite). 

Thanks to the recent successes, Aria has developed a business plan with the Frankford CDC to formally institutionalize the program. Milligan hopes they can hold events four times a year. "Everyone agrees that [the program] benefits us and the community," she says. "We believe we are making a difference."

Source: Michelle Feldman, Frankford CDC; Kathleen Milligan, Executive Secretary, Aria Health
Writer: Greg Meckstroth

Philadelphia’s urban complexities can sometimes seem overwhelming, but thanks to the efforts at Temple’s Urban Apps and Maps Studios, grappling with these complicated issues might soon be possible in the palm of your hand. 
 
Over the next three summers, high school and college-age students will take part in a six-week program to learn digital design and business skills, with a dozen of them working year-round to develop apps and maps that solve challenges of urban communities.   
 
A central goal of the program is connecting the students with underserved North Philadelphia communities, engaging them with the design challenges. According to Michele Masucci, professor and chair of Geography and Urban Studies at Temple University, it was this community outreach component of the project that caught the eye of the Knight Foundation—they are providing a $635,000 grant. "The issues to be solved come from community input," explains Masucci. "Knight thought this was fantastic and wanted to get involved."
 
Thanks to the Knight grant—as well as the initial U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration grant that jumpstarted the program last year—the Urban Apps and Maps Studio is fully funded for at least the next three years. Masucci believes the benefits of the program will guarantee funding for years to come. "The youth of this country are one of the largest digital consumer groups," she says. "This program brings them to the table to also be digital innovators."
 
The program also broadens students' educational and professional horizons by connecting them with Temple’s vast resources. In an unprecedented model of collaboration, faculty from Temple’s Fox School of Business, College of Science and Technology, College of Engineering and Tyler School of Art have lent their expertise to the Studio’s efforts to create, implement and eventually sell the apps and maps.   
 
A number of apps and maps have already been created. These include an app for urban farming, an urban health warriors game app that helps increase health awareness and a game to educate youth about personal finance.

Over the next few years, expect even more innovative solutions to emerge from the Studio. Accoring to Masucci, the University will continue to work with the Philadelphia School District and the Philadelphia Youth Network to identify and recruit students from North Philadelphia to take part in the Studio. Over the coming years, they are aiming to expand the program to other parts of Philadelphia as well.

Source: Michele Masucci, professor and chair of Geography and Urban Studies, Temple
Writer: Greg Meckstroth

In yet another example of transit-oriented development (TOD) coming to Philadelphia neighborhoods, developer Ingerman Group plans to build 52 new affordable senior housing units on a site adjacent to the Erie-Torresdale subway station in Frankford. But it's the project’s adaptive reuse story that has folks in Frankford particularly excited—the units will be located in the famed Northeast Catholic School, bringing a large portion of the now-vacant building back to life.
 
In June 2010, due to declining enrollment and rising costs, Northeast Catholic High School shuttered its doors after nearly 90 years of operation. Shortly thereafter, the Mariana Bracetti Academy Charter School bought the campus and began renovations. The adjacent rectory was left vacant. 
 
That’s where the Ingerman Group stepped in. "The school contacted us to do affordable senior housing in the rectory," says Ingerman's Geoffrey Long. "Since it’s always been a residence, it was a natural reuse for the space." 
 
According to Long, the entire rectory will be repurposed and an additional story will be added to make the project financially feasible. Rents will range from $400 to $850 for one and two-bedroom units. 20 parking spaces will be provided on-site, a perk that Long sees as beneficial but not necessary. "The building’s location lends itself to a pedestrian and transit-based lifestyle, so not much parking will be provided," he explains.
 
The project cleared a recent zoning change hurdle and is currently waiting on state financing from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency. If and when that comes through, city funding will also be secured and construction documents can get underway. 
 
If all goes according to plan, construction should start in September 2013, with residents moving in 12 to 14 months later. Demand for affordable senior units is particularly high—especially for those with access to transit and pedestrian amenities—so Long believes full occupancy will be achieved within six months of the building opening its doors.

Source: Geoffrey Long, Ingerman Group
Writer: Greg Meckstroth

JBJ Soul Homes, formerly known as Fairmount Gardens, unofficially broke ground in early October at the intersection of Fairmount and Ridge Avenues in Francisville.  And two weeks from today an official groundbreaking ceremony with Mayor Nutter and Jon Bon Jovi will commemorate the construction of a new project that is being heralded as one of the most important along the burgeoning North Broad Corridor and promises to act as a catalyst for future investment. 
 
So why all the excitement over JBJ Soul Homes?  “It’s the ultimate win-win,” says Joan McCann of Project H.O.M.E , the non-profit homeless advocacy group behind the new four-story, 75,000+ square foot facility.  “The project brings together affordable housing, mostly geared towards the homeless, office space for Project H.O.M.E, and retail space for the neighborhood.”   Make that a win-win-win.   
 
Specifically, the facility will include 47 efficiency apartments and eight one-bedrooms, minimal parking due to the nearby subway stop, and 12,000 square feet of retail space that can accommodate one user or be split into three spaces.    
 
Laura Weinbaum of Project H.O.M.E says the group had their eye on the tract of land for a long time and wanted to build affordable housing there.  “We wanted affordable housing in close proximity to our offices at 1515 Fairmount Avenue and thought this site was perfect.  The Fairmount health center is nearby, the subway is right there and the neighborhood has a lot of amenities to offer.”
 
So they approached another prominent non-profit in the neighborhood, People For People, which owned the land. “They didn’t want to sell the land, but agreed to lease it to us so long as the project included retail space that catered to the needs of the community,” explains Weinabum who says as part of the agreement, People For People will manage the retail space.      
 
Weinbaum says one of the goals of the retail space is to re-establish Fairmount and Ridge Avenues as commercial corridors in Francisville.  To that effect, the commercial storefronts will be located on the first floor of the building along both Ridge and Fairmount Avenues and Ridge Avenue and Fifteenth Street, and is expected to establish a strong visual gateway into the neighborhood.    
 
The official groundbreaking ceremony is taking place Tuesday, Nov. 13^th, from 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.  After that Weinbaum expects construction should last for roughly one year and be open sometime next fall or early winter.

Source: Joan McCann and Laura Weinbaum, Project H.O.M.E.
Writer: Greg Meckstroth

Are you a craft publisher wannabe?  Or maybe you just need an affordable, quiet environment to write?  Well if you’re either, or both of these people, you’re in luck – up-and-coming local publishing company The Head & The Hand Press has officially signed a lease at 2031 Frankford Avenue to open a workshop dedicated to providing a space for those who appreciate literary aesthetics. 

“The space is for anyone who wants to come and write,” says Nic Esposito, founder of The Head &The Hand.  “If you are a freelancer who needs a quiet getaway or you’re a story teller looking to get a book published, the work shop is for you.” 
Nic, a writer himself, says the new space will be for two general purposes.  First, it will provide a membership driven collaborative and creative space for local writers. Second, the workshop will be home to the Press' publishing operations to support novelists and story tellers.   

“We’re particularly excited about attracting that person who has a story to tell but doesn’t have the means to do it,” explains Esposito, who recently wrote his own book on urban farming. “The workshop offers all the traditional aspects of publishing – everything from writing, editing, graphic layout, but will involve the writer in a hands-on approach in a way big publishing companies can’t.” 

Esposito decided to start The Head & The Hand primarily because of the difficulties he saw in the publishing world when he wrote his book.  “I saw the upside of having a publisher help market your material,” explains Esposito. “When I was searching for a publisher, I quickly saw there weren’t many local publishing companies in Philly.”

So he started his own.  After a year of a lot of research and pulling together a committed team, The Head & The Hand was born.  The company officially bills itself as a craft publisher that treats writing as a craft and considers writers to be artisans. Esposito and the new company is influenced and inspired by the movement in Philadelphia and beyond to revitalize the manufacturing sector into locally based, handcrafted industries. 

The new work shop will share be sharing the space with Sarah Anderson, proprietor of the eclectic vintage shop Two Percent to Glory and join other recent Frankford Ave. favorites such as Pizza Brain, Little Baby’s Ice Cream, The Rocket Cat Café, and The Pickled Heron. 

“We’re very excited about the location,” says Esposito, “there are a lot of positive things happening along Frankford Ave. and being in the heart of Kensington fits the artisanal manufacturing aesthetic we’re going for.” 

Esposito and his friend Jim Zeppieri are currently in the process of building the desks for the workshop, hoping to have most, if not all of the work shop built out by November’s First Friday on the Avenue.  From there, expect a lot of events catered to the writing and publishing communities.  “The workshop won’t be static.  We’re going to be involved in the community,” says Esposito, “anything from the basics of writing to lectures on influential writers should be expected.”

Esposito and company will definitely be done by Nov, 16 when they hold an official launch party for The Head & The Hand at Johnny Brenda’s at 8 pm. 

Source: Nic Esposito, founder of The Head + The Hand Press
Writer: Greg Meckstroth

“Creative Urban Renewal” – that’s the mantra behind Twenty Nineteen, LLC, a new, first of its kind, center for social innovators who have an itch to work on the social and environmental problems that Philadelphia faces.    

“The new center is for those who can't just take off a year or six months without income, yet have really cool, viable ideas or working ventures for improving urban problems,” explains Martin Montero, one of the forces behind Twenty Nineteen.  He says the center is mostly aimed for folks in their 20s who “still have a lot freedom to pick up and move to start something new on a shoestring.”

Montero thinks the new center, which is located at 2019 College Street in Brewerytown, will help better connect individuals to Philly’s civic issues, bringing about engagement in ways that aren’t currently possible.  “By default, folks with money, family connections or political influence are those best suited to make social change,” says Montero.  “One of the goals of Twenty Nineteen is to open that opportunity up to others and give them resources and connections they might not otherwise have.”    

A big part of that opportunity will come by way of the center’s physical location.  The model calls for three connected row houses that will house 18 people with an open communal space on the first floor for hosting community events or having visitors.  Rent will be $450/month, but three to six of those folks will get room and board stipends for one year In exchange for a full-time work commitment (50-60 hours a week) to launch or join a social venture that directly benefits Philadelphia. 

An interesting caveat to Twenty Nineteen is that the social innovators who move into the house have to commit to three years of living in Philadelphia.  “This is a unique aspect of the house as compared to similar ventures across the country,” says Montero.  “We want to make sure Philly really benefits from the ideas being generated here.”   

So what kind of ideas the team hoping will come out of Twenty Nineteen?  “Anything from nutrition, health care, green energy to improving civic engagement,” says Montero.  “The goal of the house is to solve some of the City’s greatest urban problems.” 

To help make this goal a reality, Montero and his collaborators are teaming up with Girard College.  “The house is located next door so it makes perfect sense to utilize the College’s campus resources,” says Montero.  “In return, Girard students will have access to the social innovators for an after school/weekend option for apprenticeships centered on several Philly centric civic engagement/social innovation projects.” 

Montero hopes the young adults will serve as role models for the students and catalyze increased civic engagement in a neighborhood that could use some increased attention. 

Twenty Nineteen is ready to kick off a one year pilot project with six social innovators from local organizations here in Philly.  “We actually handpicked the first round of innovators,” says Montero who explained they did so to create an initial healthy ecosystem and ensure diverse ideas were represented.  During the next year, Montero hopes to work out the kinks of the house, finish lining up sponsors and put them in a position to fully launch with 18 innovators come next fall.    

Source: Martin Montero, Twenty Nineteen, LLC
Writer: Greg Meckstroth

Last week, the Philadelphia City Planning Commission adopted the Lower Northeast District Plan as part of the city’s Philadelphia 2035 Comprehensive Plan.  The Lower Northeast joins West Park and Lower South as having finished and adopted plans, leaving 15 more districts still to come over the coming years.   

The Lower Northeast covers the ever-evolving neighborhoods of Frankford, Lawncrest, Oxford Circle and Northwood and was particularly impactful because of the unique problems the area faces.  A number of these issues culminated in the plan’s focus areas, which include the Frankford Transportation Center, Frankford Gateway and Castor Avenue. 

The Plan indicates that nearly 1 in 5 Lower Northeast residents do not have health insurance and that wait times at health centers across the city are increasingly long.  To remediate this issue, the Plan calls for the creation of three health centers in the neighborhood, with one adjacent to the Frankford Transportation Center. 

This does two things, says Jennifer Barr with the City Planning Commission -- it increases the amount of needed health centers in the immediate area and substantially increases access for residents across the region. 

“Some 680,000 Philadelphians can reach the Frankford Transportation Center without a connection,” says Barr, “this is the ideal place to create a destination for health services because access is so high but also because a large amount of people are already passing through the Center on a daily basis.”   

The Frankford Center focus area was not particularly controversial.  Other areas weren’t so lucky.  The Castor Avenue focus area recommendations caused a bit of controversy, as they call for an upzone of the corridor into a mixed-use, higher density district.  This means allowing buildings to reach heights of 55 feet and encouraging residential uses above storefronts – something that doesn’t exist now.

Barr indicates that despite a small group of citizens who opposed the idea, this provision was actually supported by most of the community, likely because it makes perfect sense from a planning perspective. 

“There is a lot of demand for housing in the area with little room to expand,” says Barr.  “With Castor Avenue struggling as a commercial corridor, encouraging residential density can rejuvenate the corridor while increasing residential housing options.”

The plan’s third focus area is Frankford Gateway along Frankford Avenue, an area full of underutilized industrial buildings but full of potential.  “With the success of nearby Globe Dye Works into a thriving artist community, we have a prime example of utilizing old industrial buildings for modern day needs,” says Barr, “these buildings are an important part of Frankford’s heritage so we want to protect them and encourage their reuse.” 

To this end, the plan recommends changing the zoning along the Avenue from ICMX to a new classification – IRMX - which allows for live/work spaces geared towards these large industrial structures.

With these issues dealt with in meaningful ways and the Plan officially adopted, attention has moved on to the Center City plan, which is currently underway and the University City plan, which will begin shortly.  These districts, too, face a series of unique issues that will be fleshed out and addressed over the coming months.  Center City’s next public meeting will be held on Oct. 22 and University City’s plan is set to begin Nov. 13. 

Source: Jennifer Barr, City Planning Commission
Writer: Greg Meckstroth

As part of the annual DesignPhiladelphia festival last Wednesday at the Center for Architecture, 11 presenters from different creative backgrounds fast forwarded through 20 slides at 20 seconds each (that’s a quick 6 minutes, 40 seconds) to answer a question that is typically reserved for the long-winded among us: What’s next for Philly? 
 
This is what the first annual Fast Forward Philly was all about; presenters were asked to talk, quickly, about their big ideas for the future of the City. And they were asked to do it fast in an effort to keep interest high and energy levels higher. 
 
Ideas were incredibly diverse; anything from ‘Silicon Philly! City of Innovation & Opportunity’ to ‘Making a Gardenpark in the City’ and ‘Promoting a "Maker" Economy’ were discussed.  But according to event organizers Kathy Lent and Erike De Veyra, enthusiasm was equally shared.  “We never had fewer than a hundred in the audience throughout the evening, and they all seemed quite engaged,” says De Veyra.  “We noticed that attendees sought out the presenters during intermissions and stayed long past the end of the official event to continue their conversations.”
 
“It was definitely successful.” exclaims Lent. “Despite the untested format and considering the number of other great DesignPhiladelphia events going on that night, the room was full the entire time.”   
 
The organizers received overwhelmingly positive feedback from both audience members and presenters.

“More than anything, they wanted to know how to find out more about the ideas brought up,” says DeVeyra.   

Michael Burlando and Alex Feldman's presentation on "Philadelphia Summer Olympics 2024" was particularly popular among attendees.
Ultimately, initiating the conversation on big ideas like these was the goal of Fast Forward.  “We hoped to inspire audience members to learn, connect, and maybe make some of these ideas actually happen,” says Lent. 
 
Earlier in the year, Lent and De Veyra, both of whom are architects in training, came to the conclusion that there were far too many big ideas going unnoticed in Philadelphia.  “There is a hub of creatives in this city with different perspectives and experiences,” explains De Veyra, “and it would be fantastic if they talked more to each other.”  And so, to facilitate the conversation, Fast Forward was born. 
 
Erike and Kathy both anticipate that, since Fast Forward was so popular, it will turn into an annual event.  Next time, expect an even greater set of multidisciplinary presenters and ideas.  “By the end of the event, it was clear that nearly every presenter was either an architect or trained in architecture,” remarks Lent, who says that was an unintended consequence.  For next year, she says their goal is to “attract many diverse perspectives on ‘What’s Next for Philly?’”
 
By appealing to a wider cross-section of forward-thinking Philadelphians, De Veyra and Lent believe this will help differentiate Fast Forward as a forum for up-and-coming doers and thinkers to pitch their vision for the future of the city.  “The world is always changing and needs new, fresh ideas,” says De Veyra. “This is one place we hope to continue sharing that energy and enthusiasm.”    

Source: Kathy Lent and Erike De Veyra, Fast Forward Philly organizers
Writer: Greg Meckstroth

The Philadelphia Water Department is once again raising the bar with their green infrastructure/sustainability initiatives, this time partnering with the US Environmental Protection Agency and Community Design Collaborative with the launch of Infill Philadelphia: Soak It Up!—a design initiative to increase awareness on how green stormwater infrastructure can revitalize urban areas.

Green stormwater infrastructure has been receiving a lot of attention in Philly in recent years – it is the key strategy behind Green City, Clean Waters, the city's nationally renowned and environmentally sustainable plan to improve the region’s waterways.

“As we evolve Philadelphia into America's most sustainable and green city, the opportunities ahead will be limited only by the confines of our imaginations and the extent of our determination,” says Howard Neukrug, Commissioner of the Philadelphia Water Department.

Seeing Philly as an early adopter of green stormwater infrastructure programs on large scales, the EPA decided to partner with the Water Department on Soak It Up! to encourage and assist the City in their ongoing efforts to improve water quality and sustainability.    

Infill Philadelphia: Soak It Up! is an offshoot of Infill Philadelphia, a program created by the Community Design Collaborative to help urban areas re-envision their neighborhoods and address specific concerns unique to urban places.   

Soak It Up! feeds off that program, and will host exhibitions, talks, design charrettes and a national competition to explore the vast potential of green infrastructure tools—rain gardens, green roofs, rain barrels and more—and figure out how they can enhance Philly's built, economic and social environment.

Currently, an exhibition of over 40 projects from Philadelphia and other cities including Cleveland, Detroit and Pittsburgh is on display through Oct. 19 at the Philadelphia Center for Architecture, at 1218 Arch Street.  The exhibition provides a sampling of smart, innovative green stormwater project ideas, ranging from simple and small to visionary and large.  The exhibition is open to the public from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and noon – 5 p.m. on Sundays.   

The exhibition and the other programs currently ongoing are cumulatively aiming to bring together city leaders, designers and community stakeholders and give them the platform to discuss how they can put green infrastructure best practices to work locally.  

“In our work, we’ve already seen how designing with green stormwater infrastructure can transform a park, a block, or even an entire neighborhood,” says Beth Miller, executive director of the Community Design Collaborative. “Infill Philadelphia: Soak it Up! will help produce greater awareness, advocacy, and collaboration around green tools—and the next wave of green projects in the city.”

Source: Howard Neukrug, Commissioner of the Philadelphia Water Department; Beth Miller, executive director of the Community Design Collaborative
Writer: Greg Meckstroth

In the coming years, increased bicycle connections, amenities and parking will be coming to transit stops across the Greater Philadelphia Region.  If the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia has its way, which stops get what will be entirely up to you, the avid cyclist or bicycle enthusiast, to help SEPTA, PATCO, and NJ Transit prioritize their finite resources.

Thanks to Open Plans, the Bicycle Coalition recently created a crowdsource map that asks the general public to recommend which transit stops across Philly need better bike facilities.

The goal is noble: encourage people to bike to transit, park their bike, and then continue onto their final commuting destination.  The method is simple: visit this map and offer your opinion on which transit stops need better bike facilities.  The feedback is critical: the more data the map receives, the more accurate the results will be and the more likely commuters will utilize the new amenities.

The crowdsource map is part of a larger, more regional effort to increase trails to transit commuting.  According to Sarah Stuart, the Policy Director with the Bicycle Coalition, the group has been talking with SEPTA for some time about improving bike facilities at transit stops.  “This has been an ongoing conversation,” says Stuart, “but the challenges have been figuring out where to implement the improvements and how to better connect people to them.” 

With these unanswered questions lingering, SEPTA began collaborating with the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) to conduct a ‘Trails to Transit’ study.  Stuart says once this partnership was forged, the Coalition put the two groups in contact with Open Plans, a group she was familiar with through their successful bike share crowdsource maps. 

“I was familiar with Open Plans’ crowdsourcing efforts around bike sharing locations in Philly and New York and thought a similar effort could be conducted for the ‘Trails to Transit’ study.”

Stuart says DVPRC was on board with the idea, but asked that PATCO and NJ Transit be included in the effort.  Stuart agreed, Open Plans signed on, and the map was born.  Collaboration at its finest. 

From here, Stuart says the DVRPC will gather the map’s data, analyze it, and add it to a number of contributing factors to determine which transit stops receive bicycle parking and where trails/bike lane gaps can be filled.  This will then inform the three transit agencies about how to allocate their resources in implementing transit stop amenities. 

Stuart also sees broader implications for the Coalition as well.  “Through all of this data, something we will also have access to, the Coalition will gain a better understanding on how to better advocate for improved bicycle infrastructure for quite some time.” 

The map will be up until Dec. 1, 2012 so be sure to visit the map and advocate for better bicycle infrastructure where you see fit.

Source: Sarah Stuart, Policy Director, Bicycle Coalition
Writer: Greg Meckstroth