A Civic Vision for the Central Delaware 2 PennPraxis WRT William Penn Foundation F O R E W O R D The William Penn Foundation, founded in 1945 by Otto and Phoebe Haas, is dedicated to improving the quality of life in the Greater Philadelphia region. We seek to build on the region’s assets and enhance the economic competitiveness of Greater Philadelphia. We have long believed that the Delaware River is one of our region’s most significant assets. For more than a decade, the Foundation has sought to promote the historically industrialized Delaware Riverfront as a both a natural and community resource. In recent years the riverfront has experienced tremendous redevelopment pressure. However, due to the absence of an effective master plan and weak land use controls, most of this development has occurred in an ad-hoc and uncoordinated manner, raising concerns that the city would fail to fully maximize the waterfront’s economic and community development benefits and potential to deliver important new public access and amenities. In response to these concerns, the Foundation launched the central Delaware riverfront planning process to provide needed planning resources for the waterfront. We also sought a new model for large-scale, open, transparent civic visioning and planning that we hope will be replicable elsewhere in Philadelphia and will set a new standard for public access and participation in the city’s development decisions. Although Philadelphia has come late to the waterfront development game, our tardiness gives us one important advantage – we can learn from the experiences of many other cities. And the lessons are very clear. Successful 21st century urban waterfronts are the result of a compelling vision, effective zoning and land use regulations, and strategic public investments. While this document represents the culmination of a year-long period of intense civic engagement and thinking about the future of the Delaware Riverfront, this vision is only able to suggest possible options and future directions. To achieve a world class waterfront, there is much work Introduction 3 ahead: the big ideas of this plan need to be fleshed out at the neighborhood scale; Philadelphia needs to develop and adopt effective land use and zoning controls; city, state, and federal infrastructure investments need to be coordinated; and ongoing engagement with community and civic groups, land owners, and other key stakeholders must continue. Despite the long road ahead, the completion of this document represents a major milestone and singular achievement for the city of Philadelphia. Many people made this vision possible, including Mayor John F. Street and Councilman Frank DiCicco who initiated the effort; Janice Woodcock, Executive Director of the City Planning Commission and the Commission’s committed staff who provided critical support, insights, and ideas; and finally, the staff of PennPraxis, led by Harris Steinberg, provided exemplary leadership in managing an exhausting, yet highly meaningful public planning process. Special recognition is due to the 45 members of the Central Delaware Waterfront Advisory Group. These volunteers marshaled the public will necessary to drive the process forward amid significant challenges and tensions. A local journalist and long-time observer of the city recently mentioned that Philadelphians were beginning to give up the old myths about the city – that Philadelphia is “second rate” or that “it can’t happen here” – but had not yet come up with the new story of the city. Our hope is that the ideas and images contained in this document will help to begin to fill in the new and emerging narrative of our beloved city. We are confident that a world-class, highly livable, vital, and diverse city is within our grasp…if we are willing to make the tough decisions necessary to achieve it. Feather O. Houstoun President The William Penn Foundation 4 PennPraxis WRT William Penn Foundation P R E F A C E To the citizens of Philadelphia, Over the past year, we had the privilege of working with thousands of Philadelphians who helped imagine a gleaming future for seven miles of the central Delaware riverfront. For that, we are extremely grateful. This report represents the fruits of those labors. A Civic Vision for the Central Delaware rests upon the values, hopes and aspirations of the scores of Philadelphians from all walks of life who gave generously of their time, energy and passion to help craft a roadmap to the future. The civic vision is drawn from a sustained and, at times, provocative public conversation about how we can develop what is Philadelphia’s signal natural asset—the Delaware River. As such, this is both a hopeful and a challenging document. It is hopeful because it paints a picture of a city by a river that grows gracefully towards the water’s edge. This is a vision of an inclusive Philadelphia—one in which commerce, culture and ecology peaceably coexist. It is challenging because it defies Philadelphia to aim high, change old habits and seize the opportunity to reestablish itself as a leading city of the world. It dares us to believe in ourselves once again. The work does not end with the publication of this document. Rather, the civic vision is a starting point for further dialogue and action, setting the table for the fruitful fulfillment of Philadelphia’s sparkling potential. It lays out choices we can make about investment in public spaces; it calls upon us to continue talking; and it provides a framework for growth that can help us find common ground. Introduction 5 Special thanks go to Mayor John F. Street for authorizing this work and to First District Councilman Frank DiCicco for championing the process. The Central Delaware Advisory Group provided exemplary collaborative oversight. We are extremely grateful to the William Penn Foundation and the Knight Foundation for their generous support of this work and for their sage guidance over the course of the project. I am particularly thankful to PennDesign dean Gary Hack for his constancy and counsel. And I am indebted to the indefatigable efforts of the PennPraxis staff, the Penn Project on Civic Engagement, the Philadelphia City Planning Commission and the planning firm of WRT for producing a work of such sterling quality. But it is the people of Philadelphia who merit the most profound thanks. Your efforts and engagement have created a work of depth and integrity, one that is real Philadelphia. Harris M. Steinberg, FAIA PennPraxis School of Design University of Pennsylvania November 2007 6 PennPraxis WRT William Penn Foundation The Central Delaware Advisory Group was composed of the following members over the year-long planning process created by Mayor John Street’s executive order: Janice Woodcock, Philadelphia City Planning Commission, Chair Michael Groman, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Laurie Actman, Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce Robert Gross, Delaware River Port Authority Theresa Alicia, State Representative Marie Lederer Dave Hammond, South Street Headhouse District Marsha Bacal, Society Hill Towers Management Offi ce Richard Horrow, Old City Civic Association Jeremy Beaudry, Fishtown Neighbors Association Mary Isaacson, State Representative Mike O’Brien Blaine Bonham, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Loree Jones, Secretary of External Affairs/Managing Director City of Philadelphia Joseph Brooks, Penn’s Landing Corporation William Keller, State Representative, 184th District Kirk Brown, Dickinson Narrows Civic Association Patty-Pat Kozlowski, Port Richmond on Patrol and Civic Association Hope Caldwell, Law Department, City of Philadelphia Laura Lanza, Port Richmond on Patrol and Civic Association John Childress, African-American Chamber of Commerce, Steering Committee Marie Lederer, State Representative, 175th District, ex offi cio Darrell Clarke, Fifth Councilmanic District Paul Levy, Center City District, Steering Committee Rina Cutler, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Henry Lewandowski, Whitman Council Romulo Diaz, City Solicitor, City of Philadelphia Jennifer Lewis, Northern Liberties Neighbors Association, Steering Committee Michael DiBerardinis, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Peter Longstreth, Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation Frank DiCicco, First Councilmanic District, Steering Committee Walt Lowthian, Queen Village Neighbors Association Anne Dicker, Neighbors Allied for the Best Riverfront Joseph Martz, Secretary of Administration, Governor Edward Rendell John Dougherty, Pennsport Civic Association Bernadette Mason, Pennsport Civic Association Fred Druding, Jr., Whitman Council, Steering Committee John Matheussen, Delaware River Port Authority Denise Earley, Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce Shawn McCaney, William Penn Foundation, Steering Committee John Edelstein, Department of Commerce, Steering Committee James McDermott, Jr., Philadelphia Regional Port Authority John Elfrey, Managing Director’s Offi ce, City of Philadelphia Howard Moseley, Jr., Managing Director’s Offi ce, City of Philadelphia Carl Engelke, State Senator Vincent Fumo James Moss, Society Hill Civic Association Varsovia Fernandez, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Stephanie Naidoff, Commerce Director, City of Philadelphia Mark Focht, Fairmount Park Commission Michael O’Brien, State Representative, 175th District David Fogel, South Eastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority David O’Donnell, Queen Village Civic Association Vincent Fumo, State Senator, First District James Paylor, Jr., International