Mayor Michael Nutter is frequently spotted here in West Philly. Last week he cut the ribbon on the Dorrance Hamilton Center for Culinary Enterprises at 48th and Spruce and tomorrow he’s coming to inaugurate the Woodland Avenue Pedestrian Plaza at 42nd and Woodland. The Woodland Avenue plaza is a formerly neglected traffic triangle that has been transformed into a green area with bistro tables and umbrellas thanks to a partnership between University City District, the Mayor’s Office of Transportation, and the Philadelphia Streets Department.
All are welcome to join the Mayor and other stakeholders at the dedication of the plaza, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. Complimentary treats will be served by Little Baby’s Ice Cream and Four Worlds Bakery.
September 19th, 2012 at 10:47 am
I think it’s great that people have come together to create more greenspace and beautify this little public space.
I am a little concerned however that this area was left to be paved over. I would have strongly preferred to see some of the concrete and asphalt cut and removed and replaced with permeable ground, and planters placed in the ground rather than strictly in raised beds. Plants placed in raised beds have access to less water and are less drought-tolerant than plants grown in the ground. Trees placed in raised planters like this are also more susceptible to windfall.
And you can already see the soil nutrients leaching out of these planters when it rains.
It’s just not an ideal setup. I recognize that cutting and removing concrete is expensive, but I would like to see more of the paved-over surfaces removed. Too much of Philadelphia is paved; it’s unsightly and has negative impacts on the environment. The changes made here are superficial and do not address the deeper issues that I am concerned with. I also think that this area would have fewer maintenance costs in the long-run if a greater initial investment were made into getting rid of the paved surfaces and replacing it with permeable ground.
I would urge everyone who has any influence in this matter to keep talking about these issues, especially with people influential in these sorts of projects, because the more we talk about them, the more likely it is that we can make a positive difference.
This redevelopment was a step in the right direction but I’d like to see it re-done in a more sustainable way, and I’d like to see future projects carried out in that way as well.
September 20th, 2012 at 6:29 pm
If UCD has enough money for rogue green spaces, parklets, and annoying blinky lights on their vehicles; can they put more thrash cans out then?
Hell partner with SEPTA, Mayor’s Useless Office of Transportation, etc. to put them at trolley or bus stops!!