Responding to COVID-19

PennPraxis

Workshop participants tour Grays Ferry Avenue

Workshop participants tour Grays Ferry Avenue

PennPraxis kicks of Grays Ferry Healthy Corridor workshops with ULI Philadelphia

With the emergence of a new West Philadelphia-Center City “Innovation District,” supported by the growth of Philadelphia’s universities, businesses and health institutions, the historically industrial Grays Ferry Av
Graphic Display of Results of PennPraxis Free Street Survey

PennPraxis Research Team Evaluates Inaugural Philly Free Streets Event

In September 2016, PennPraxis conducted survey research at the inaugural Philly Free Streets event on behalf of OpenStreetsPHL and the Knight Foundation.
Panel discussion at PAFA

Remaking Civic Infrastructure

As cities across the U.S. rebound from the population loss and disinvestment of the 20th century, officials, institutions, designers and planners have begun to focus on renewing public assets with civic investments large and small. Under the Kenney administration, Philadelphia has gone all in on this strategy with a plan called Rebuild, meant to invest $500 million in public and foundation money in neighborhood parks, recreation centers and libraries. In March, PennPraxis released a report—funded by the William Penn Foundation, which is also a major investor in the Rebuild initiative—to help provide context for the challenges of the city’s undertaking with research on civic infrastructure and the work of other cities.
Circle seated in people's garden

PennDesign Social Impact Projects Grantees 2017

The Office of the Dean at PennDesign and PennPraxis, the community engagement and consulting arm of the School, are pleased to announce the 2017-2018 Social Impact Projects (SIP).
Students work with community members to provide interactive input into the garden design during charrette

Students work with community members to provide interactive input into the garden design during charrette

Serenity Soular builds trust through design at the People's Garden

Social Impact Project team Serenity Soular is currently planning a garden work day event at the People's Garden the corner of 13th and Silver Street in North Philadelphia on Saturday March 25th from 10am-2pm.
Penn Presidential Professor of Law and Education Wendell Pritchett, PennDesign alumna Prema Gupta (MSHP’05), Assistant Professor in the Graduate Program in Historic Preservation Aaron Wunsch on the Penn Praxis panel

Penn Presidential Professor of Law and Education Wendell Pritchett, PennDesign alumna Prema Gupta (MSHP’05), Assistant Professor in the Graduate Program in Historic Preservation Aaron Wunsch

PennPraxis Panel Digs Into Preservation and the Public Good

On Instagram, there are something like 1,500 photographs tagged with the phrase “This Jawn Matters,” a twist on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s “This Place Matters” campaign, customized for Philadelphia.
Poster for the Reading Terminal Market Parkside Fresh Food Fest

Parkside Fresh Food Fest

The Parkside Fresh Food Fest is a 6 (six) event series that seeks to build community, utilize common public space, and provide fresh food access in the East Parkside neighborhood of Philadelph
View toward opposite directions with the installation

View toward opposite directions with the installation; photo: Moya Sun

Sprouting Possibilities

Sprouting Possibilities is a PennPraxis Social Impact Project and built on the shared vision of using trees to demonstrate the cyclical nature of growth and development to activate vacant land and strengthen communities.
A group of PennDesign volunteers at the end of Saturday’s build

A group of PennDesign volunteers at the end of Saturday’s build, Photo by Carolyn Zemanian

Rebuilding Together Philadelphia, Spring 2017

Between March 31-April 2, approximately 300 volunteers from PennDesign and Wharton participated in the Spring 2017 Rebuilding Together Philadelphia Block Build. These student volunteers accomplished vital repairs in 10 houses in Philadelphia’s Mantua neighborhood.
Outward Bound's climbing wall attracted adventurers of all ages.

Outward Bound's climbing wall attracted adventurers of all ages. Image credit: Yusef Dingle

Community Migrates Together at the Discovery Center

Community members from across Philadelphia came together to Migrate to Adventure and Discovery on April 1st, 2017, at the site of the future
The Neighborhood Exchange Box visited the Chinatown neighborhood at the PCDC Chinatown Neighborhood Plan forum

The Neighborhood Exchange Box visited the Chinatown neighborhood at the PCDC Chinatown Neighborhood Plan forum,  February 28, 2017.

Capturing the Rail Park’s Neighborhood Identity

Last week, two neighborhood events in Philadelphia's Chinatown featured the Neighborhood Exchange Box (社區交換盒) a project of the
Defining Public Interest Design Panel

Defining Public Interest Design Panel

Defining Public Interest Design Panel

PennPraxis is on the threshold of several organizational changes – new dean, new board members, rotating faculty leadership.  In order to take full advantage of new leadership, evolving civic and academic contexts, and advances in the fields of public interest design, in January 2017&nb

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