Summer Issue

CENTER CITY QUARTERLY Newsletter of the Center City Residents' Association Vol. 7 No. 2 Summer 2017 Contents Our Greene Countrie Towne Our Greene Countrie Towne Singin’ in the Rain ......................................................1 Gardens: Another Reason to Love Philadelphia ...15 Singin’ in the Rain City Lit By Bill West Summer Reading… ......................................................2 Food in Bloom ............................................................2 There was a knock on the door. I opened weighs about as much as a sumo wrestler. It’s Academic it, and there were two nice young men and Don't ask me how I learned this. Greene Towners Greening Center City ..............2 my new rain barrel. They also had a bag TPS Students Get Lessons in Lobbying .............4 Clearing the Haze of the High School Maze ........4 with some tools and a few accessory parts. The rain barrels are part of a larger program Friends Select SummerSessions ..........................5 Fifteen minutes later the installation crew for stormwater management that emphasizes President’s Report was done with its work; we smiled and what is called green infrastructure, as Who Watches the Watchers? .................................3 shook hands, and they left. opposed to gray infrastructure. Gray Town Square infrastructure means building new sewers Crosstown Coalition Update .................................7 And I had a 55-gallon plastic rain and holding tanks and stuff, and pouring CCRA Sponsors DA Debate at Saxbys Coee ......7 barrel hooked up to the downspout that huge gobs of concrete. Using concrete State of Center City .............................................................10 drains my roof. Free rain barrel, free Zoning Questions Presented by Jeweler’s Row ..13 Continued p. 3 installation. Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Living History An Awakening of Historic Proportions ..............9 Horticultural Society. Make a Dierence to Our Neighborhood! ..........9 Film Recounts Jane Jacobs' Urban Crusade .......10 So what do you do with the water in the Postcard from the Revolution .............................11 rain barrel? Well, you can use it to water Dining Scene your flowers. Probably not a good idea to Outdoor Dining on the Schuylkill ......................13 drink it – hard to know how many birds Out & About have been pooping on your roof. Celebration of Center City Living.......................14 CCCulture Artist Leslie Sudock Supports Studio for The main thing, however, is you're helping Adults with Developmental Disabilities ..............15 the planet. Yes, who knew? The PHS is Summer Jazz Concert Series ..................................17 into green stuff. NextMove Dance Presents Companies from Europe, Africa, Asia and America ...............19 If you've noticed that we seem to be To Your Health Yoga Practice Strengthens Mind and Body....17 getting more intense rainstorms in Shop Talk Philadelphia, and that there's more local Too Much Stu! ........................................................18 flooding – where the storm drains back up CCRA Merchant Members Discount Program ....19 into the street and create pretty little lakes What’s Going On at intersections – well, you're not crazy. CCRA Summer Calendar .......................................20 And one of the answers is the rain barrel. CENTER CITY RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION Every 55 gallons in a rain barrel is 55 1608 Walnut Street, 12th Floor gallons that aren't gushing up through the Philadelphia, PA 19103 storm grate down at the corner. By the 215-546-6719 way, I call it a little blue rain barrel, and Bill West [email protected] it is. But it's not a toy. When it's full it They only come in blue, but you're free to decorate. 2000 block www.centercityresidents.org of Moravian. City Lit Summer Reading… Food in Bloom By Bonnie Eisenfeld By Bonnie Eisenfeld The Grid and the River: Philadelphia’s Center City resident Constance Kirker, Green Places 1682-1876, by Dr. Elizabeth co-author of Edible Flowers: A Global Milroy, explores the how and why of our History, gave a talk about her recent book city’s amazing heritage of public parks and at the Free Library, Philadelphia City the preservation of open spaces. Department Institute branch on Rittenhouse Square, Head of Art and Art History at Drexel in April. Kirker discussed the cultural, University, Milroy provides a thoroughly symbolic, and religious connotations of researched, illustrated narrative describing edible flowers; how they have been an cultural attitudes and political processes element of cooking in many of the world's leading to the preservation of Philadelphia’s cultures; and how flowers can be used in extensive open spaces. Philadelphia’s delicious and unexpected ways to enhance public parks cover more than 10,000 acres your food presentations. and include woodlands, waterways, and Bonnie Eisenfeld historic properties. The book is available on Edible owers enhance the eye appeal of ordinary foods. Amazon and at the Free Library. It’s Academic Greene Towners Greening Center City By Erika Goldberg, Greene Towne Garden Coordinator In 1966 Greene Towne Montessori This year, in addition School’s founding parents drew their to gardening and worm inspiration in naming the school from composting, Greene William Penn’s vision for Philadelphia Towne Kindergartners to be a “greene countrie towne.” Today, tended 16 street trees near Greene Towne students and parents the school. Before putting contribute to fulfilling Penn’s dream for a on their garden gloves and healthy, green city. heading out with trowels and garden forks, the Each year, during the days surrounding 5- and 6-year-olds shared Earth Day and Arbor Day, students engage their thoughts about why in activities that teach the importance trees are important and of caring for the natural environment. why we need to take care Throughout the week, parents, students, of them. and teachers work together to welcome a new growing season by planting, setting “Trees give us oxygen Erika Goldberg up worm composting, and caring for and clean the air.” “We Greene Towners are proud of their tree-tending skills. street trees in and around the school’s two breath oxygen so if there outdoor spaces. were no trees we wouldn’t have any air.” Students learned that trees “drink” water “Trees give us food: nuts, maple syrup, through their roots, difficult when soil Established by parent volunteers in apples, oranges, cherries, bananas, pears, in the tree pit is compacted. Students 2003, the rooftop container garden and avocadoes, mangoes and coconuts.” loosened the soil, allowing rainfall to courtyard garden provide our young city- “Trees are pretty and give us flowers.” reach deep into the ground for the roots dwellers the opportunity to grow flowers, “Trees give us shade.” “Trees give us to soak up. They spread mulch around the herbs and vegetables to enjoy. Since its wood and we make houses and beautiful trunks to help retain moisture and keep inception, the program has expanded to wooden toys and our play structure is roots cool during the hot summer. include tending street trees and worm made of wood.” “Our classroom furniture composting, keeping nearly 500 pounds and work is made from wood.” “They Kindergartners drew pictures and wrote of kitchen and paper waste from landfills give us paper so we can draw and write stories about the importance of caring for each year. Children from 18 months to stories and make crafts.” Trees also make trees. William Penn’s dream lives on in 6 years relish digging for worms, and homes for squirrels and chipmunks and Greene Towne’s students. squeal with delight when they find one. birds, “where they build nests way up high,” and “Cats like to climb trees.” Page 2 Center City Quarterly | Summer 2017 CCRA BOARD OF DIRECTORS President’s Report Charles Goodwin ...................................President Charles Robin .............. Executive Vice President Who Watches the Watchers? Barbara Halpern ..........................Vice President Quis custodiet ipsos Planning Commission (PCPC). The builder is Emmeline Babb ............................ Vice President custodes? – who watches free to ignore both the RCO and the PCPC but Frank Montgomery ......................Vice President the watchers? – is a often takes reasonable suggestions to heart. Harvey C. Sacks ........................... Vice President question debated since Finally, in Philadelphia, certain land-use issues Philippa Campbell ............................... Secretary Plato’s Republic (or so (putting something on the sidewalk, closing Dawn Willis ............................Assistant Secretary says Wikipedia), which an unused street) require a City Council (oddly enough) predates Matt Schreck ........................................ Treasurer ordinance. Sometimes, builders try to avoid Juvenal’s satires – the Matt Fontana .........................Assistant Treasurer the variance process (and the risk of potentially usual source of the Charles Goodwin interminable court proceedings) with a request DIRECTOR (term ending) quotation – by four or five CCRA President to the district council member for legislation. Guy Aiman (2019) Daniel Keough (2019) centuries. It’s really two CCRA is fortunate that our two council Wade Albert (2018) Dilek Karabucak (2018) questions: who should watch the watchers; members’ response to such a suggestion is to Janet Bender (2018) Fran Levi (2017) and who does watch the watchers? Elena A. Cappella (2017) Philip McMunigal (2017) tell the

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