West Philadelphia High School students designing and building a new gathering space on their campus under Praxis’ leadership. (Image source: Tyger Williams for the Inquirer)
PennPraxis is the applied research, engagement, and practice arm at the Weitzman School of Design. We collaborate with students, clients, and community organizers to develop tools, strategies, and design interventions that imagine new futures for both urban and rural landscapes. Our goal is to share power with historically marginalized peoples, create equity, and generate new resources to address the most pressing social and environmental problems of the 21st century.
As a native West Philadelphian, I was elated to participate in projects that forced us to think critically about the design process while living through the pandemic, gentrification in Philadelphia, and increasing violence involving our youth. It was rewarding to empower residents to be change agents in their neighborhoods and to vocalize their perspectives, [which] are often left out of decision-making processes.
Introducing Case Studies in Design, a collective writing and thinking project that aims to catalyze transformational design, planning, and place-keeping from the ground up.
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Q&A: Michael Fichman on Nighttime Economies and a Philly Milestone
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In Kennett Square, PennPraxis Helps Build Community, One Leader at a Time
In The Media
Penn partners with West Philly High to give it a new ‘front porch’ and teach students about careers
Area high school students designed and built a new communal space as part of Design to Thrive, a summer program from PennPraxis.
The Philadelphia Inquirer
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