Green2015: An Action Plan for the First 500 AcresPrint Page

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We know now more than ever the importance of park space to the health of our communities. Everyone deserves access to public parks and open space. This is why a clear goal of Mayor Nutter's sustainability plan Greenworks Philadelphia is to add 500 acres of new publicly accessible green space to the city by 2015.  The Green2015 initiative of Philadelphia Parks and Recreation and PennPraxis outlines the strategy for how to meet this 500-acre goal for Philadelphia.

The goal of Green2015 is to unite city government and neighborhood residents to transform empty or underused land in Philadelphia into parks for neighbors to enjoy. Most of the land that can be greened is already publicly owned and therefore requires no money to acquire. The planning, implementation, and maintenance of these parks will be a collaborative effort among many partners, including neighbors, businesses, nonprofits, developers, and the city.

Watch videos from our launch event!

Click here to see video clips from the Urban Sustainability Forum where Green2015 was launched, December 7, 2010.  The videos are divided into five portions by speakers.

Final Report

The final report, Green2015: An Action Plan for the First 500 Acres, is now available.  Click here to read the Executive Summary (PDF) or the full document (PDF).

 

Continue the Discussion

Philadelphia Parks and Recreation would like your feedback on Green2015. Check out the Green2015 conversation page on PlanPhilly to take a short survey, give general input on the plan, and learn more about how to get involved in park space creation in the future.

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Information on Launch Event, December 2010

Join Mayor Nutter and Parks and Recreation Commissioner Michael DiBerardinis at this special edition of the Urban Sustainability Forum to launch the city’s action plan for creating new park space across Philadelphia. This will include an announcement of early action projects that grew out of the planning process, a technical presentation, and a Park Space Marketplace where attendees can tour displays of various parks already under construction throughout the city and ask implementers questions on how to get involved in their neighborhoods.

Date: Tuesday, December 7

Time: Reception at 6:00pm, presentation 6:30-8:30pm

Location: Academy of Natural Sciences, 1900 Ben Franklin Parkway

RSVP today: http://first500acres.eventbrite.com/

Speakers:

  • The Honorable Michael A. Nutter, Mayor
  • Gary Jastrzab, Executive Director, Philadelphia City Planning Commission
  • Michael DiBerardinis, Commissioner and Special Advisor to the Mayor, Philadelphia Parks and Recreation
  • Harris Steinberg, Executive Director, PennPraxis

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Information on Public Forums, Summer 2010

Tell us what it means to you as the City of Philadelphia works to increase access to green space citywide.

Help shape the Mayor's action plan to create 500 acres of public green space in Philadelphia.  Join the conversation with the Department of Parks and Recreation about how green space contributes to urban life and what more public green space would mean to your community.  Each session will include a site tour, a presentation from Parks and Recreation leadership on the Mayor's efforts through Greenworks Philadelphia and the opportunity to have your voice heard in this important initiative.

Your opinion matters.  Join us!

Community Meetings

Refreshments provided.

For more information, call 215-683-3666 or 215-898-6316.

Citizen Feedback

Check out the links below to read the notes from all six civic engagement sessions:

Green2015 is a project led by the Department of Parks and Recreation in coordination with Greenworks Philadelphia and the Philadelphia City Planning Commission's comprehensive planning process. The project is supported with grants from the William Penn Foundation and Lenfest Foundation to engage PennPraxis, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and the Penn Project for Civic Engagement.

 

Parks and Open Spaces from Greenworks Philadelphia on Vimeo.

 

Press Coverage

 

AttachmentSize
G2015ExecutiveSummary_FINAL_web_compressed.pdf2.2 MB
G2015Layout_v13_FINAL_web_compressed.pdf14.44 MB
Green2015_meeting_dates_and_locations_with_Blurb.pdf653.9 KB
Green2015_Community_Meeting_Facilitation_Notes_May_25-2010....pdf104.82 KB
Green2015_Community_Meeting_Facilitation_Notes_May_26-2010....pdf93.81 KB
Green2015_Community_Meeting_Facilitation_Notes_June_14-201....pdf100.99 KB
Green2015_Community_Meeting_Facilitation_Notes_June_16-201....pdf87.19 KB
Green2015_Community_Meeting_Facilitation_Notes_June_21-201....pdf90.46 KB
Green2015_Community_Meeting_Facilitation_Notes_June_22-2010.pdf115.18 KB
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Comments

by marita fitzpatrick (not verified) | June 22, 2010 - 7:01am

I live in 19122 - that's north of Girard and west of Front. Our community group (KSNAC) has planted over 300 trees in the past 3 years. Unfortunately, we have no actual park in our neighborhood. Yet, in 19122, there is so much city owned property. Lots lay fallow along & around American Street -- awaiting the next real estate boom. Countless, vacant warehouses sit idle, and abandoned homes are ready to collapse. All our vacant lots total over 100 football fields of space -- really. Philadelphia has the sites, we just need to turn them into green space. We all know how good green space is for the soul. I would love to be able to sit on a park bench in my own neighborhood and enjoy the shade while my kid runs and plays. Every neighborhood needs a park. The team needs to see where the needs are and focus on them first.

by Michael Kovach (not verified) | June 19, 2010 - 6:44pm
Yes greenspaces are great and important and draw development. We Philadelphians need to look at New York's high line and do the same with the abandonded rail line that runs roughly near Callowhill and 12th Streets. The prior commentor also mentioned flowering trees and shrubs--thee cheers to her. Golden Chain trees are a great re-blooming tree that I have seen in other urban settings. I think they would work here to. Certainly the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society has other specimens it would just love to recommend. All new paving in city parks should be water permeable to help end the runoff of rain into our over-burdened storm sewers. All sewer covers should be marked LOUDLY that whatever a person is inclined to throw into it is going more or less directly into the Delaware. Of course swings and see-saws, etc. should be a part of our parks. A great way to prevent scraped knees and to recycle tires that I see abandoned everywhere in the city would be to have them collected and ground into a "mulch" of sorts. And finally, yes, the previous commentor is correct. More transit options to Fairmount Park would be only logical. Not everyone can drive, bike, walk or just plain get there. except by public transit. An introduction of trolly service linked from SEPTA stations would be tremendous. Also I'd love to visit Roosevelt Park but haven't yet got up the nerve to bike there. Creating designated bike lanes throughout Fairmount Park, where ever there is a road would seem obvious to me and of course linking those lanes to the additions that are scheduled to be put in place in the city is only logical. Sidewalks too would seem to me an obvious amenity to put where there are none now. And even more finally, yes, a little at a time with help from Philadelphians may be a bit utopian but I would give it a try.
by Vivianne T. Nachmias (not verified) | May 13, 2010 - 6:50pm
Yes the People deserve green space. BUT, the green spaces also deserve people. I take this in two ways: one, the city, local neighborhood groups AND the schools, should encourage people to help take care of their park, which ever one is near them. Recycling, cleaning up, helping water in times of drought, planting, with advice from knowledgable groups and holding celebrations in the neighborhood park or having games are all ways to increase participation. Second, I compare Central Park, NYC with our lovely Fairmount Park and believe our F. Park is very under utilized. We need a good transportation, e.g. bus, from various sites to the Park, with extra on the weekends, if you want to get people out into the park. Finally, there are not enough good play areas for children. We could not put swings in our Barkan Park, a pocket park, as there was such worry about safety. Yet there are swings nearby in Clark Park. Swings can be made of soft material, they don't have to be wood and chain! Even tires make good sqings. These, and see saws, are relaxing for children and teach them about gravity and weight. Another good fun thing is a movable flat circle of wood or plastic, that is pushed by kids running and jumping on; this encourages cooperation and dexterity, and is used in Africa to power a pump to get water. There is is often near a school. WE need imagination in our parks as well. Finally we need floweing trees and bushes that take little or no care but come back every year! Color is very comforting when people feel sad or worried. Daffodills, azalea bushes, knock out roses, flowering cherries and crabs, day lilies and asters are, from spring to fall, easy to put in and trouble free. Just some water if there's a drought and the park looks "dressed up" and lovely. good luck. Vivianne best wishes....
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