Collaborations: Engaging the Community

Urban Impact, May 2001

In 1974, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's fledgling community gardening program, Philadelphia Green, was essentially a grassroots initiative, guided by just two staff members with the determination to bring the benefits of gardening to interested groups of neighbors throughout the city. With the help of volunteers and its aptly named "Gardenmobile," Philadelphia Green helped residents start 10 gardens in its first summer. In the 27 years since, the program's staff has grown to 50, while significantly expanding the scope of its work.

Today, Philadelphia Green partners with the city and volunteer groups to revitalize urban parks, collaborates with community-based organizations to incorporate open space planning into their development projects, and is working closely with the city to create an effective strategy to manage Philadelphia's epidemic of vacant, abandoned lots. Yet, at the foundation of all of these efforts lies the program's long-standing and fundamental ability to inspire community residents to better their surroundings. Any change in Philadelphia's neighborhoods—whether through the city's evolving Neighborhood Transformation Initiative or though local community-driven efforts—relies on the commitment of the community. This issue of Urban Impact looks at the various ways Philadelphia Green engages the community, from the planning process to "in the ground" implementation.

Building Relationships

Inherent in the success of any community-driven effort is a spirit of cooperation and compromise. In working with various neighborhoods, Philadelphia Green has found that greening creates an opportunity for residents—who might otherwise disagree on a range of neighborhood issues—to work together towards a shared goal. Four years ago, Philadelphia Green met with neighbors from the 2100 block of North Franklin Street who wanted to beautify their street. A recurring challenge was bridging the differing viewpoints of two distinct groups on the block, split by younger and older generations. The neighbors disagreed on a number of issues, such as how late at night the block's youth should be allowed to stay out. Yet their common desire to remake their block helped bring them together. "Both groups wanted the same thing," says Philadelphia Green project coordinator Keith Green. "They may continue to argue about other things, but the work we've done with them has opened the lines of communication. When it comes to greening, they can always reach agreement."

Philadelphia Green involved the Franklin Street neighbors in a series of projects to foster enthusiasm and cooperation. "We've found that it's best not to overwhelm a group with too much too quickly," explains project manager Debbie Hall. "The key is to see how much work the group can take on, then build on that foundation with other projects." For instance, staff first met with the Franklin Street neighbors and planned a basic landscape treatment (in this case, flower-filled barrels along the sidewalks). The residents' enthusiasm and the subsequent success of this effort let to planting street trees along the block. Finally, Philadelphia Green helped the residents to plan and build three gardens on vacant lots.

In designing the gardens, the residents were encouraged to be proactive: they created their own designs, which were submitted to Philadelphia Green for feedback. "The neighbors are more invested in the gardens because they were involved from the ground up in imagining and building them," says Hall. Indeed, the key to building sustainability into any project is involving neighbors from the beginning of the process, helping them gain a sense of ownership.

Strengthening Community Resources

Philadelphia Green also engages the community by providing technical assistance, using its experience and expertise to help city residents with the design and construction phases of improvement projects already in progress.

In the city's Frankford section, the Holy Family Neighborhood Center (a non-profit group funded by Holy Family College) has been converting a used car lot into a community park and playground at Paul & Ruan Streets. The group had already raised a good portion of funding for the work; they also formed an independent non-profit board, which is raising monies for playground equipment and park upkeep. Initially, Holy Family called Philadelphia Green to request only garden materials and trees for the site, yet this led to a deeper collaboration. Philadelphia Green created a new design for the park and consulted with the group on the implementation process. Ultimately, these added resources helped to refine an already well-conceived project.

In another example, Philadelphia Green advised a small group of Frankford residents working to remake the lot at Penn Street and Oxford Avenue. This intersection not only acts as a transportation hub (with a bus stop and a nearby SEPTA "El" station), but as an entryway to the neighborhood. One night in 1996, a closed-down Bell Telephone Company building exploded as a result of a gas leak. Once the building was razed, the lot became a target for debris and short dumping—until Roy Koehler and a few of his neighbors got involved. "The space was such an eyesore," he remembers. "It made a terrible first impression to anyone entering our community."

The residents started with small steps, first clearing the lot and keeping it free from debris, then gradually planting low-maintenance wildflowers. Philadelphia Green subsequently provided technical and design advice on the space, held a perennial-planting workshop for the volunteers, and supplied materials like planting beds and trees. At first, staff was skeptical that such a small group of neighbors could stay on top of the lot's upkeep, but community enthusiasm has helped keep the momentum rolling. "We've gotten a lot of compliments from the neighborhood," says Koehler of the space, which now includes a mural. "It's like when you put a fresh coat of paint on your house," he says. "It makes all the difference."

Encouraging Self-Reliance

The key to the vitality of any community-driven greening initiative is the residents' motivation and their ability to generate continued interest and involvement. Through a variety of education and training programs, Philadelphia Green encourages people to conceptualize and create projects on their own, helping to ensure a continuing commitment.

In Philadelphia Green's Tree Tenders basic training workshops, the aim is to develop groups that are self-sustaining. Participating groups not only learn about tree care, but also learn how to raise their own funds and build a stronger organization. "We train people to be independent," says project manager Mindy Maslin, reflecting on the overarching goal of Tree Tenders. "We then can act as advisors or mentors when needed."

Maslin points to a tree sale coordinated by Philadelphia Green, through which a dozen Tree Tender groups (all "graduates" of the training program) purchased young, "bare root" trees to plant in their neighborhoods across the city, from Fairmount, Roxborough, and Germantown to University City and the Northeast. "We didn't have to keep after these groups to do this work," Maslin adds. "They took the initiative to participate in the sale, and have reached a point in their development where, for the most part, they operate on their own."

Philadelphia Green also engages the community by, in effect, "training the trainer." Through its Tree Tenders Teachers training series, city educators learn how to develop lesson plans that help students improve their neighborhoods through greening. One result is that 20 Philadelphia School District teachers have committed to doing Arbor Day environmental education programs at their schools this spring. "We have been able to affect the community through these dedicated teachers," remarks Maslin, while noting an additional incentive for the instructors. "Last year, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society was certified by the State of Pennsylvania as a continuing education provider, so teachers that take our training are eligible to receive recognized credits."

The Rebirth of a Park

Philadelphia Green's Parks Revitalization Project works to develop viable, self-sustaining neighborhood organizations and groups that serve as park stewards. Specifically, Philadelphia Green helps groups with master planning and organizational development (how to fundraise, tap into local resources and reach consensus, for example), as well as with park improvements and maintenance issues. The city's Department of Recreation has also been a vital partner over the last several years, committing additional capital funds as well as seasonal staff to support the efforts of volunteers. Last year, Philadelphia Green worked with 25 volunteer park groups throughout the city.

Cliveden Park in Germantown is an apt example of how the program can help an established group to create and realize a vision for an improved community park. Philadelphia Green has worked with the District Community Action Council for the past two years on a range of horticultural projects (tree plantings, a re-landscaped hillside, a low-lying water garden). Their participation in our program has also helped them to acquire resources from both City Council and the Department of Recreation (for instance, with City funds, a new playground will be completed this spring). Reflecting on the partnership, Vicki Burks of Cliveden says, "Philadelphia Green has been our teacher, sharing their experiences to help us improve the park."

Greening as a Beginning

Whether working with groups to re-imagine and reclaim open space or teaching residents how to create and sustain their own gardens, Philadelphia Green continues to promote greening as a way to both physically enhance neighborhoods and people's lives. Indeed, the foundation of these efforts lies at the community level, as the interest and commitment of residents is crucial to the success of gardening and greening initiatives. At this basic and critical stage, Philadelphia Green often serves as a mediator and facilitator, helping neighborhood groups to build relationships and reach consensus. Drawing on its experience, it provides technical expertise that both strengthens and diversifies a community's own resources. And, through education and training, Philadelphia Green enables the community to create viable, sustainable greening projects with the potential for long-lasting effects on the quality of urban life.