Dear Philadelphia resident,
Thank you for your interest in Green2015: An Action Plan for the First 500 Acres, a project commissioned by Philadelphia Parks and Recreation in cooperation with the Philadelphia City Planning Commission and produced by PennPraxis. Green2015 represents a strategy to add 500 acres of greened public space in the city by 2015 according to a goal laid out in Mayor Nutter's Greenworks Philadelphia sustainability plan in order to provide walkable access to park space for all Philadelphia residents. Contained within the Equity section of Greenworks, the 500 acre goal is a minimum target that will advance the objective of making Philadelphia more equitable, livable, and competitive.
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. As we all know, vacant lots hurt our communities. Transforming these empty spaces into parks and green places creates important new opportunities for kids to play and neighbors to gather.
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.
Philadelphia Parks and Recreation would like to invite citizens to continue the dialogue on Green2015. In the links below, please take a moment to complete a short survey, give general feedback, and learn more about how to get involved in park space creation in the future.
Michael DiBerardinis
Commissioner and Special Advisor to the Mayor , Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, Free Library of Philadelphia
PlanPhilly: Planning Philadelphia's Future