July 2013 - Parks & Recreation - 47

Heron Playground is part of an effort to
increase green space in Philadelphia that
will provide both neighborhood and
stormwater management benefits.

ter management has been a win-win
for both agencies; it has allowed PPR
to capitalize on and improve the condition of our most abundant resource
- public land. "
PWD prioritizes projects on public
lands, which serve as ideal sites for
stormwater management due to ease
in acquisition of use, cost-share opportunities and community support.
Another key focus has been on the
development of innovative yet repeatable designs, as well as decision frameworks usable by involved parties.
An important strategy in creating
acreage for GSI implementation is the
PPR Green2015 Plan. The main goal
of Green2015 is to add 500 acres of
new, publicly accessible, green space
to the city by 2015. Top opportunity
sites for new parks are underutilized
public land such as vacant lots, schoolyards and recreation centers in neighborhoods that have little to no access
to green space. In serving to both
catch stormwater and provide recreation amenities, Green2015 is a catalyst for PPR, PWD and the Trust for
Public Land to strategically plan and
pilot innovative neighborhood-scale
projects that can be replicated.
The first of many Green2015 projects to come that target new open
space in underserved areas of the city,
Ingersoll Commons will transform a
city-owned vacant lot in lower North
Philadelphia into a 10-unit affordable
housing development and a new city
park. All 10 units will face the park,
away from their legal street frontage,
allowing for a focus on security and

increased activity at the park. The
park features rain gardens to collect
and infiltrate runoff from the site and
adjacent blocks. PWD, PPR and the
Department of Public Property have
partnered with affordable housing
developer Community Ventures on
this opportunity to create a model of
sustainable redevelopment.
Shissler Recreation Center, once
a cinder field and most recently a vacant grass field, has been transformed
through a joint initiative among PWD,
PPR, the Mural Arts Program, the
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and
the New Kensington Community Development Corporation. The Shissler
site was originally a railroad yard, an
emblem of Kensington's role as an industrial center. Today, the site features
a turf recreation field and a spraypark.
New stormwater tree trenches and bioinfiltration basins manage onsite runoff and runoff diverted from adjacent
streets and sidewalks.
Finally, a one-acre stormwater wetland, constructed on a parcel of historic Fairmount Park known as Saylor
Grove, treats an estimated 70 million

gallons of urban stormwater per year
before it is discharged into the Monoshone Creek. The Monoshone Creek
is a tributary of the Wissahickon
Creek, a source of drinking water for
the City of Philadelphia. In treating
stormwater runoff, the wetland improves source water quality and minimizes the impacts of storm-related
flows on the aquatic and structural integrity of the nearby river ecosystem.
This project, a partnership among
PWD, PPR, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection,
Center in the Park and Wissahickon
Restoration Volunteers, is a highly visible urban GSI retrofit.
Philadelphia believes that its Green
City, Clean Waters plan can serve as
a model for other cities interested in
implementing GSI. By mimicking the
natural water cycle and addressing
stormwater as a holistic resource, the
city will become a more desirable place
to live, work and play.
Amy Liu is a city planner with the Philadelphia
Water Department. For more information, contact
Mark Focht at PPR (mark.focht@phila.gov).

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Parks & Recreation

July 2013 - Parks & Recreation

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