Proposal for the Revitalization of the Public Space Adjacent to the 46th and Market Street El Station

Prepared by the Urban Leadership Academy Consultancy Group in affiliation with The Enterprise Center Community Development Corporation and West Philadelphia High School

• Contents •Introduction

Lessons LearnedStudent Designs

Historical Context

Stakeholder Analysis

Market Analysis

Preliminary Designs

Final Recommendations

Composite Renderings

• Introduction •The Enterprise Center Community Development Corpora-tion (TEC-CDC) invited West Philadelphia High School stu-dents in the 2009-10 elective course titled “Community De-velopment and Organizing” to help them with the design and development of a large vacant lot bounded by Market, Ludlow, Farragut, and 46th streets, next to a newly refur-bished station of the Market Street Elevated line at 46th and Market. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Au-thority (SEPTA) completely reconstructed the Market Street Elevated between 1999 and 2009, using the vacant lot as a staging area for the reconstruction. Once the reconstruc-tion was completed, SEPTA transferred the property to the TEC-CDC, with the stipulation that it have a public use. The TEC-CDC asked us to design a vest-pocket park that would include commercial vending, using the principles of Transit-Oriented Development (TOD). Other local stakeholders are planning a “mini-farm” on the Ludlow Street end of the lot.

Three groups of high school students, aided by their Penn student partners, carried out research related to the his-torical context of the site and conducted both market and stakeholder analyses. This proposal presents the students’

findings and the implications for the design of the site. At the end of the fall semester, the students gave a PowerPoint presentation to TEC staff, who gave valuable feedback that the students used to refine their findings in the next semes-ter.

In the spring 2010 semester, students formed four design teams, each of which produced a design for the new park based both on what they learned through their fall se-mester research and the urban design principles and skills they learned in class. The teams presented their designs in a charette that took place at the lot in late April, 2010, and they received feedback from TEC-CDC staff and other stakeholders and design professionals. The class analyzed the feedback and, with the help of a Penn architecture/ur-ban studies undergraduate student, came up with the final design that incorporates the best elements from the four teams’ preliminary design proposals. The team designs are also included in this proposal, as is a composite rendering that incorporates elements of each of the four preliminary designs. The work that the West Philadelphia High School students carried out for this project was done in conjunction with a microeconomics curriculum taught by Neil Geyette.

•1•

• Early History •West Philadelphia is a resi-dential and commercial area that includes 21 historic neighbor-hoods with a to-tal population of 209,000 people (2000 U.S. Census). It is bordered by the Schuylkill River, City Line Avenue, Cobbs Creek, and Baltimore Avenue. West Philadelphia has a long his-tory stretching back to the late 17th century.

The first West Philadelphia settlement was established in 1677, and the area was

incorporated into Philadelphia proper in 1854. The area at-

tracted national and i n t e r n a t i o n a l attention when

it became the site of the 1876 Centennial

Exhibition. The area was also home to the country’s first

zoo and housed a major Civil War hospital.

This map indicates the geographical boundaries of the

current neighborhoods in West Philadelphia.

•Historical Context••2•

•Historical Context•

• 20th Century •At the turn of the 20th century, West Philadelphia includ-ed pockets of residential housing and industrial develop-ments and swaths of rich agricultural hinterlands. In 1907 the El was constructed in the area. Transportation made places like West Philadelphia more accessible to people of all backgrounds. This led to a gradual change in de-mographics. After World War II, and especially after the 1960s, cars became more popular and many middle class residents were able to leave the area—commuting to and from the city to work. In 1963, the city government took over Philadelphia transportation—making it available to the general public through a unified system. The hous-ing shortage in the 1970s meant overcrowding and poor conditions for the residents that stayed. Today the demo-graphics, according to the 2000 census, indicate that the majority population is African American (approximately

75%). The area is currently becoming a multicultural hub for immigrants from the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia.

In the first half of the 20th century, two of the most nota-ble institutions in West Philadelphia were The Arena (orig-inally known as the Philadelphia Auditorium and the Ice Palace), located between 45th-46th and Market streets. It was built by George F. Pawling and opened in 1920. The Arena offered sports events, including boxing, wrestling, and ice hockey. The two minor league hockey teams that played in The Arena were The Philadelphia Arrows and The Philadelphia Rockets. Another famous institution was the WFIL studio at 4548 Market Street (the site of the present Enterprise Center), which produced American Bandstand, which first aired locally in 1952 and became a national phenomenon for the ABC television network from 1957 to 1964.

•3•

• Profile of the Stakeholders •The six key stakeholders for the revitalization of the lot at 46th and Market Streets in-clude the following: The Enterprise Center CDC, which holds the ground lease for the space; the West Philadelphia High School students who walk by and use the Elevated station; the Walnut Hill Community Asso-ciation, in whose neighborhood the

site is located; the Pennsylvania Hor-ticultural Society (PHS), which over-

sees community gardening in the city; the Philadelphia City

Planning Commission (PCPC), responsi-

ble for overall p l a n n i n g in Phila-

delphia; and SEPTA, which

manages the city’s transportation system

and transferred the land to TEC-CDC.

•Stakeholder Analysis•

• Definition •A stakeholder analysis is a technique you can use to identify and assess the importance of key people, groups of people, or institu-tions that may significantly influence the success of your activity or project. You can use this technique alone or with your team members. We will generate an opinion of the community to figure out pre-existing problems and to see pre- existing plans for the area of the lot.

• Purpose •The purpose of our stakeholder analysis is to identify the key groups, individuals and leaders who have an interest in the devel-opment of the lot. We would like to determine the role of organizations and funding, and to see who controls the area of the lot. In addition, the purpose is also to show how these opinions and concerns will affect the development of the lot. Talking to the stakeholders is helpful to understand the various roles leaders have in the development of the 46th and Market St lot.ur group

*This grid represents the relative interest and power of each stakeholder

•4•

•Stakeholder Analysis•

• Findings •

Based on surveys and interviews, the research showed that there are com-peting claims on the 46th and Mar-ket Street site. The Enterprise Center wanted to turn the lot into a commu-nity-serving, public use space that would incorporate a community gar-den and mobile vending kiosks. They wanted to address the principles of dense, pedestrian-friendly “transit-oriented development.” The majority of students were interested in a place to hang out and eat. The Walnut Hill

Community Association, which sup-ported the idea of a community gar-den, was concerned about the time-line of such a project. The PHS and PCPC joined TEC-CDC in wanting a community garden. The groups with the highest interest and power advocate a community garden and also a well-designed sit-ting park. The West students will be satisfied if there are places to eat and sit. The PHS strongly supports a gar-den. A sitting park that works with the garden will satisfy most stakeholders.

•5•

• Methods •The data collected included a survey of SEPTA riders at the 46th and Market Street El Station in addition to a survey of local busi-nesses. The research also includes an analy-sis of the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) data for 1/4, 1/2 and 1-mile radii of the lot.

• Frequency of Use •Most of the survey respondents ei-

ther work and/or reside in the area. This is compatible with

the fact that most people are there daily or often. Those we surveyed near the 46th street El station were a di-

verse enough sample to be able to make conclusions

about the larger population.

• Ridership •According to SEPTA ridership data, the current weekly ridership at the 46th Street El station is 6,888. By comparison, the adjacent station at 52nd Street has a weekday ridership of 14,341, which is more than double the ridership at 46th Street. An explanation for this difference is the presence of numerous shops in the 52nd Street area, including electronic stores, sporting goods stores, and fast food restaurants. So if we want to increase ridership at the 46th Street station, adding stores could be a good way to do that.

General DemographicsRight: This table describes the demographics of the area to include one mile radius from the 46th street El station. This area has a higher percentage of people of work-ing age, between 18 and 64 years old, but lower percentages of other age groups as compared to Philadelphia as a whole. This explains why the average household size is slightly lower than the region around 46th and Market; there are fewer children and elderly people in the average household in the market area.

•Market Analysis•

*Key: n 3 times a week; n Daily; n Infrequently; n Often; n Once a week ; n 5 times a week

GGenrer

•6•

14.5%

General DemographicsPopulationMedian Household IncomeAverage Household Size

Age Distribution

Under 1818-6465+

46th and Market

22.7%67.4%9.9%

46th and Market

46th and Market

Philadelphia

Philadelphia

Philadelphia

24.8%62.1%13.1%

22.6$24,43678,651

24.5$36,4881,439,617

RaceBlackWhiteOther

70.6%16.1%13.3%

40.3%41.8%

•Market Analysis•

• Consumer Preferences •The majority of the people that we surveyed would be drawn to services such as commu-nity centers, public parks, or daycare cent-ers. They would also be drawn to shops such as clothing stores, food shops, or electronics shops. Businesses like the ones above would be the most profitable and productive on the 46th st lot.

  What type of services would you use in the area?

Daycare Public Parks Community Center

Arcade Other

ESRI Retail Market Place ProfileIn

dust

ry

Leakage/Surplus Factor

Health and Personal Care

Sporting Goods/Hobby Stores

Office Supply/Stationary

Clothing Stores

Limited Eating Restaurants

Full-Service Restaurants

Furniture Stores

•7•

Electonics

• Retail Opportunities •Based on Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) data above, there is cur-rently a loss to the area of consumers seeking furniture stores and full service res-taurants. In light of this market leakgage, these are the types of businesses that would have the most potential to profit in the area. In comparison, there is a sur-plus in health and personal care stores and limited service eating places. Because there is a greater supply than demand of such goods in this area, it would not make sense to open these types of businesses.

Even though the survey data indicated consumer’s interest in clothing stores, the ESRI data suggest another might not be feasible in the area. However, both surve and ESRI data show both food shops and electronics shops might be good new businesses for this area.

• What we Learned •During the process of learning how to create good public spaces our class researched and ex-perienced the history and design of such places. The first half of our class focused on research-ing and gathering information about the history (Historical Context), wishes of the community (Stakeholder Analysis) and desires of local consumers (Market Analysis). Collecting and analyzing all of that data took us to Temple University Archives, the Philadelphia City Plannning Commis-sion (PCPC) office, meetings with the horticultural society and many other resources. We further learned that the most successful urban spaces are often oriented to pedestrians and public transit. Transit oriented development (TOD) seeks to create mixed-use housing, commercial structures, and ease of access via public transportation (whether walking, biking or public transportation). However, even if people design places that possess the elements of TOD, making the space suc-cessful requires attention to detail. We wanted to create a new space that would surpass the ex-pectations of TOD by building community and making it an important node in the neighborhood.

The second half of our class required us to implement all of our learning and research into a group design. Our job entailed designing a space that could house mobile food businesses and support a new community garden. We learned about Kevin Lynch’s design concepts and how to meas-ure and draw plans to scale. William Whyte showed us that the most popular urban spaces are

simple, inviting and interesting. In addition, we met and received the expertise of urban farmers, architects and city planners. When designing our lots we wanted to balance the principles of TOD, successful small urban spaces and the desires of the community to ensure the long-term sustain-ability of the place.

•Implications and Recommendations

for Design•

*Left: aerial view of 46th and Markeet St lot•8•

Student DesignsRMarket Team

Our group decided to create a design that included lots of seating spaces, and soft areas where kids can play around. We made the grass area nice, clean, and kid-friendly by adding soft grass. We made

sure that the grass had a soft texture so that the little kids would not hurt them-selves. We created light poles to light the area at night. We decided that the pic-nic tables are for families that would like to enjoy their stay and eat a nice lunch. This area was created for fun or to just sit and enjoy a nice day outside. We also paved pathways with cobble stones to add accent to the huge open space and to welcome the neighborhood to an exciting, fun-filled, brand new lot.

We started with the stone pathway because it brings out the creative paint-ing and it welcomes everyone into an brand new place of comfort. The path-ways are the color of concrete with tan and beige accents to bring out the warm atmosphere of trees. We designed the pathways to imitate a tree because our design represents life. We believe that trees represents comfort and safety. The pathways that go sideways were created to look like a branch-like image. The benches on the branches were to make it seem like an actual tree. If you were to overlap the two you would be able to look down upon it.

At the end of these pathways are benches with tall trees to create a secluded area for a more intimate occasion; we designed six of these areas. Alongside the pathways, going toward this area, are flowers, light poles, and a garbage can.

In the grass areas there are several flower boxes and picnic tables. The picnic tables sitting on the grass areas provide a nice area for families to enjoy.

Finally, we wanted to attract the people coming off the El as well as the neigh-bors by placing short, pretty bushes. We also placed mobile food carts to not only create attraction, but to sell produce in the area to make in more popular as a whole.

•9•

Marquitta Medley, Raynita Williams, Eric Jones, and Kadidra Johnson present their design to a delegation from The Enterprise Center Community Development Corpora-tion, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, University of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia City Planning Commission.

During the creating of our blueprint we decided to incorporate a few things that will better welcome

people into our park. Inspired by the greek orders, our design is symmetric, bringing order into an otherwise chaotic city. We decided to add grills that are in the ground for cooking so that people can eat and grill in our park. We also added tables so that people can sit and eat. Trash cans are great to have in the park because it stops littering. Compost bins are placed in the garden to produce fertilizer. Cherry trees would be a great touch because they provide shade and beautify our park. A wrought-iron fence will be built to keep out unwanted visitors.

Saffiyah White, Maurice Burke, Jaquil Sneed, Kalesha Hinton Demetria Batts explain how the decorative landscaping of their design creates an inviting and family-friendly public space.

Student DesignsGroup Two Team

•10•

Student DesignsCommunity Growth Team

•11•

In our proposal group we wanted to make 46th and Market a destination spot again. So we

came up with the Idea of making the lot into a space where people could perform. Our designs for our pro-posal had to have traces of Transit Oriented Develop-ment (T.O.D.) embedded into it. Our proposal consisted of stone seating and a stone stage, set up like an amphi-theatre. There are also a number of benches through-out the space, to provide people with seating. There is space for a garden, because its already been decided that a garden would be put into a section of the lot. The garden will be a place for people to harvest. The people are welcome to sell their goods in another sec-tion of our design, which is made for just that.

• Below: Marina White, Shante Lassiter, and Sydia Boone present their design featuring a performance space and amphitheater

Above: Khalif Dobson, Daisha Nixon, Jacqueline Collins and David Harper explain the re-search and rationale of Transit Oriented Development and community participation that went into the creation of their rendering.

How do we take a lot from under usage to the most

wanted spot in Philadelphia? In this design we decid-

ed it would be good to make the lot attractive. People would not

come to the area or respect the area in such a state. In the design,

we planned to use the public art as a way to attract people while

making the space useable. At the entrance there will be an iron gate,

beautifully decorated by the community with a welcome sign on

the sides of the entrance. There are bike racks for the people who

prefer to use bicycles. This leads down a mosaic path, the current

dust and dirt will be attractive green space like grass, bushes, flow-

ers, and trees. There will be lots of places to sit (benches, and picnic

tables) also grills open to public. To keep the area clean, there will

be composters, trash cans and recycle bins. Down the mosaic path

will lead to food vendors who will sell healthy snacks from some of

the produce grown from the community garden on the other side

of the lot. In the evening there will be adequate lighting. Based on

the data we collected from the course our proposal for the

46th street site has several key components need for suc-

cessful transit oriented development.

Student DesignsGroup Four Team

•12•

•12•

46TH & MARKET

STATION

MARKET STREET

N

FUTURE COMMUNITY GARDEN

STAGE

FIRE PIT FIRE PITLA

MP

GATE

BENCH

TRAS

H

0 25ft

Elements of The Composite:- Two small �ower beds in front both to make the park welcoming while strategically minimizing maintenance- Abundant seating and light- Large grassy area suitable for small �eld play or seating for performances- Recycling bins, compost bins and trash binsGroup 4-Bike racks- Mosaic �oor to be crafted by the community/ local artistRMarket:- Tree-form walk-ways that serve to organize space into progressively more private “pods.” Group 2- With �ire-pit style grills providing a destination for two of these podsCommunity Growth - Concrete stage/platform for small performances and produce vendor’s stalls

Market-Frankford Line CompositeRenderings

•13•

West Philadelphia High SchoolUrban Leadership Consultancy Group

4800 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19139Tel:(215) 471-2902

www.wphsurbanleadership.org

The Urban Leadership Consultancy Groups would like to thank the following for their hard work and dedication to this project:

The Enterprise Center Greg Heller, Managing Director, Economic Growth and Community Revitalization Imanni Wilkes, Associate Director, Community Empowerment, TEC-CDCNandini Jayarajan, Education Outreach, TEC-CDCAndrew Toy, Director, and Steven Horton, Retail Resource Network

Philadelphia City Planning CommissionRichard Redding, Director of Community Planning

Pennsylvania Horticultural SocietyNick Esposito

PlanPhillyAndrew Goodman

West Philadelphia High School StaffSaliyah Cruz, PrincipalNeil Geyette, Teacher and Coordinator of the Urban Leadership AcademyMia King, Student Teacher in the Urban Leadership Academy

University of Pennsylvania PartnersJohn Puckett, Professor Graduate School of EducationElaine Simon, Co-Director, Urban Studies ProgramDana Rommerdahl, Teaching AssistantAlexander Jacobson, Undergraduate Architecture/Urban Studies Fall 2009 students: Marshall Bright, Kristen Bryant, Marcus Goodwin, Pamela Hodge, Gabriel Kuriloff, Benjamin Lewis, April Nunn, Raisa Slutsky-Moore, Jeannie TsoSpring 2010 students: Benjamin Coman, Rob Hanna, Sarah Hill, Tyler Hyman, Tanvi Rastogi, Angbeen Saleem, Robert Shilton, Caitlin Whitson