Pittsburgh Delegation Tours Philadelphia Green Sites

Iris Brown explains the creation of Las Parcelas community gardens in Norris Square for visitors from Pittsburgh.

In late September, the city of Pittsburgh hosted the G-20 summit and showed the world how it had traded its smoky, industrial image for a new, green approach to economic revival.

In late October,  a group of Pittsburgh city officials, representatives of non-profits, and technical assistance providers came to Philadelphia to share their expertise and to learn how the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and its Philadelphia Green program have helped transform this city’s blighted lots into parks, gardens and revitalized land. The visit was hosted in partnership with John Kromer, Senior Consultant at the Fels Institute of Government.

The Pittsburgh contingent included representatives of the Mayor’s Office, Urban Redevelopment Authority, City Planning Commission, Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County, Green Up Pittsburgh, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Grow Pittsburgh, East End Food Coop, Hazelwood Harvest, and other organizations.

Mary Seton Corboy, founder of Greensgrow, talks to the Pittsburgh delegation about the birth and growth of the urban farm nursery in New Kensington.

The groups discussed vacant land management; urban agriculture, public-private partnerships; community gardens, and other land re-use and land banking programs. The visit included tours of neighborhood parks, gardens, and urban farming sites, such as Liberty Lands, Las Parcelas, Greensgrow, Weavers Way Co-Op at Awbury Arboretum, and the offices of Asociacion Puertorriquenos en Marcha.

Joan Reilly, Senior Director of Philadelphia Green, provided a presentation on vacant land, City Harvest, and urban agriculture opportunities. Suzanne Biemiller, Project Director of the Mayor’s Office on Sustainability, discussed the Greenworks Philadelphia plan. Deborah MCulloch, Director of the Philadelphia Office of Housing and Community Development, talked about affordable green housing and the power of partnerships. Terry Gillen, Executive Director of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, discussed reusing vacant land. On the second day, Philadelphia Green Director Bob Grossmann offered a presentation on PHS’ operational model for vacant land management, and Glen Abrams, of the Philadelphia Water Department, talked about storm water management innovations.

Lena Andrews (second from left), a planning and development specialist with the Urban Redevelopment Authority, talks with other Pittsburgh representatives outside the offices of Asociacion Puertorriquenos en Marcha in North Philadelphia.

Philadelphia Green is the leading program on urban revitalization and has served as a model for cities throughout the U.S. Through its efforts in parks, gardens, tree plantings, urban agriculture, public landscapes, and educational programs, Philadelphia Green brings people and partners together to transform communities.

 

For more information Contact:
Alan Jaffe at 215-988-8833
Laura Hoover at 215-988-8836