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Garden City, ID - Advisory Services Panel
Recommendations on new opportunities for circulation and a mix of land uses in the Parkway neighborhood along the Boise River Greenbelt.
Philadelphia (Fairmount Park)- Advisory Services Panel
September 13, 2022
The Fairmount Park Conservancy (the Conservancy) works closely with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation to champion both the natural and physical assets of Philadelphia’s extensive park system. The Conservancy has invested more than $40 million in the Philadelphia parks system while increasing public awareness of parks’ role in contributing to the Greater Philadelphia region’s health and vibrancy. The Conservancy’s mission and work has evolved beyond fundraising to position us as a collaborative leader and partner within the park system, focusing more strategically on planning and executing major capital projects, program development at key civic spaces, and city-wide community engagement.
Photo By ULI
The panel was chaired by Mike Higbee, OBE Advisors, LLC, Indianapolis, Indiana and included panelists Dionne Baux, National Main Street Center, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, Sonja Ewing, Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Prince George’s County, Maryland, Wei Huang, NOVUS Real Estate, Los Angeles, California, Rachel MacCleery, Urban Land Institute , Washington, D.C., Taylor Schenker , Urban3, Asheville, North Carolina. The panel was supported by ULI Staff members, Matt Norris, Barbra Gustis, & Kelsey Steffen.
Date: May 1-6, 2022
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Sponsor: The Fairmount Park Conservancy and the JPB Foundation
Panel Chair: Mike Higbee, OBE Advisors, LLC
The Centennial District of West Fairmount Park sits on 700 acres originally identified by Frederick Law Olmstead as the location for the City’s first purpose-built urban park. It hosted the Centennial Exposition in 1876 and today is home to anchor institutions that attract 2 million visitors each year. The park is the green fabric connecting the Philadelphia Zoo with the Please Touch Museum, Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Shofuso Japanese House and Garden, and the Fairmount Park Horticultural Center. Despite the robust visitorship, this has not translated into strategies that capture value or users for the surrounding park or adjacent communities.
In order to deliver an equitable, high-quality park, it will require broad partnerships capable of collaborating to untangle the thorny challenges that prevent neighbors and visitors alike from connecting across Parkside Avenue, with institutions, and with each other. Under-utilized assets like the 52st regional rail station, the commercial corridor, and city-owned property adjacent to Fairmount Park all provide potential opportunities to lever in service to address the challenges faced by this neighborhood and public space.
The ULI Panel looked to help the Conservancy better understand, the near, medium, and long-term horizons, of how the anchor institutions, including Fairmount Park Conservancy, should work together in partnership with the City to equitably create value for the surrounding neighborhoods and create a high-quality visitor experience that benefits all.
Key recommendations from the panel include:
- Pay renewed attention to West Park’s historic significance and its regional and community roles
- Develop a unifying theme speaking to the park’s future meeting regional and community expectations
- Expand number of “invested stewards” that are accountable for the park’s ability to serve as a top tier Philadelphia asset
- Establish a permanent “fund development” organization responsible for determining deferred maintenance and capital improvement priorities and form financing partnerships to address them
- Establish a new on-site community center as a “Hub of Opportunity” with diverse programming, including recreation, community services, & linkages to economic growth
- Establish a new organizational partner to advise & consent on park priorities and fund development
- Assign park programming scheduling to FPC along with the responsibility of ensuring all events are compatible with neighborhood and park operations
- Assign and hold FPC accountable for ongoing, consistent, and documented communication with park and community stakeholders
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