At 2,050 acres, East (650 acres) and West (1400 acres) Fairmount Park is the undisputed heart of Philadelphia’s park system. Conceived as a watershed park in the mid-19th century, the park has been developed on an ad hoc basis over the intervening 157 years.
East and West Fairmount Park is one of the greatest gifts ever given to Philadelphia, for the drinking water it protects and the beautiful outdoor space residents can enjoy as a result. However, while park use is at an all-time high, barriers of all kinds continue to limit its potential. In order to get more residents exploring and enjoying the park, the city is interested in creating new areas of activities and ways to get around without sacrificing the natural beauty of the park that makes it such a jewel for Philadelphia residents.
PennPraxis and the Penn Project for Civic Engagement have begun "A Community Vision and Action Plan for East and West Fairmount Park" in partnership with Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, the Parks and Recreation Commission, the Fairmount Park Conservancy, and the William Penn Foundation.
We will be working through 2013 and into 2014 to learn what residents (especially those nearest neighbors) value about the park, how they would like to use the park, and what new improvements would allow them to do so. Our early observations and conversations have led us to discover a wealth of great stories about the park, from its original identity as a water source to its variety of diverse uses today. Our goal is to craft a vision that is based on community input and provides the Department with long-term recommendations as well as short-term project ideas to create the 21st century version of our 19th century watershed park.
Public Launch Event
We are thrilled to be inviting the public to the lovely Smith Playground to officially launch the vision in the park. The team will present the components of the vision and lead walking tours to key early action projects. Details are:
Tuesday, May 13
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Smith Playground, 3500 Reservoir Drive
Sign-in and refreshments at 5:30pm
Program begins promptly at 6:00pm
More information can be found here. Capacity is limited, so please click to RSVP.
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