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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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