City releases plan to green-up blighted land, a few West Philly parcels

December 8, 2010

City and private planning officials last night unveiled an “action plan” to turn 500 acres of vacant lots, desolate schoolyards and derelict parks into revitalized green space.

Green2015: An Action Plan for the First 500 Acres is the result of cooperation between the city and PennPraxis, the hands-on branch of the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Design. It’s ambitious and expensive, although the city maintains that the costs will be kept low thanks to private and community partnerships and the fact that many of the sites under consideration will be relatively easy to green-up.

The idea is to create green space where there isn’t much, particularly for the 200,000 or so Philadelphians who live further than a 10-minute walk from a public park. A caveat: These spaces won’t necessarily be turned into “parks.” Some will be spruced up school playgrounds, for example. Many are an acre or less.

The city is inviting citizen feedback here.

Here are some “opportunity sites” in West Philly that the plan mentions:

• Walnut Hill Community Park and Farm (pictured left). This project on a quarter-acre lot near 46th and Market is actually already underway and will include a pocket park and an urban garden (p. 79).

• Like the Walnut Hill location, Penn Park, a 24-acre site near 30th and Walnut, is part of the “first 100 acres” where work has already begun.

• Garden Court – the tennis courts and the community garden. (p. 81)

• 48th and Woodland playground, near the Kingsessing Rec Center (p. 81)

• 4716 Baltimore Ave (p. 84)

• 5302 Lindbergh Blvd. (a 17-acre city-owned plot).

• The schoolyard at University City High School/Drew Elementary (p. 88)

• 4601 Market – The Provident Mutual site (p. 95)

If you’re up for it, here’s the plan in full:

Green 2015