Check out the presentation from our third community meeting:
SGSG Community Meeting - June 20, 2012

After months of planning, engineering analysis, and public input, we are ready to unveil a design for the Spring Garden Street Greenway. Come be one of the first to see the design  and interact directly with the design team.

When: Wednesday, June 20th

6:30pm Doors open – refreshments provided

7:00pm Program begins

Location:

Community College of Philadelphia – Center for Business and Industry

Callowhill & 18th, Lecture Hall C2-28

RSVP: http://sgsgjune20.eventbrite.com/

Inquirer Editorial: Turning Spring Garden into greenway a great idea

December 17, 2011

Wouldn’t it be fun to safely ride your bike or take a leisurely walk on a tree-studded path from the banks of the Delaware to the Schuylkill?

The Pennsylvania Environmental Planning Council, a statewide organization with regional offices that work to revitalize communities, protect working farms, preserve critical wildlife habitat, and protect lakes, streams, and rivers, is working its way through an extensive process to come up with a plan, including a budget and funding sources that could turn Spring Garden into a greenway that serves as a link on an urban trail stretching from Canada to Key West, Fla.

In some ways, the plan could bring Spring Garden Street back to its 19th-century days as an “elegant, leafy boulevard,” according to PEC’s project website at www.springgardenstreetgreenway.com.

Working with the city and neighborhood groups, the council hopes to report its ideas in the summer.

PEC executive vice president Patrick Starr says Spring Garden – a straight 2.2 mile shot between the Art Museum and the Delaware River waterfront – acts as a barrier that cuts off the energy from Center City and from the neighborhoods on the north side.

The street is wide enough to accommodate cars, walkers, and cyclists. But right now, cyclists and motorists find themselves dodging each other. Planners envision a center lane for strollers and bikers separated from traffic, which would give users some peace of mind.

Of course, this is a plan and can change. But the element of safe passage for all users should make it to the final draft.

Beyond dressing up with more trees, Spring Garden Street can also serve a practical purpose as a place to manage and contain storm water, Starr says.

The city is sprucing up the Delaware riverfront and has plans to develop the old incinerator site at the foot of Spring Garden Street.

At the same time, some residents of the lofts on the east side of Broad Street are excited about a proposal to turn the Reading viaduct into a park like New York City’s High Line.

A dedicated bike and pedestrian path would create a stronger link between Spring Garden’s neighborhoods and all the walking, cycling, rowing, and running that goes on along the Schuylkill.

It would enhance the quality of life not just for those in motion but for those who appreciate bustling street life as well.

http://articles.philly.com/2011-12-17/news/30528943_1_delaware-river-path-cyclists

Introduction and Project Background

Greenway Options Explained

Your Street, Your Voice!

This was just one of the exercises that members of the public completed at the Community Design Workshop held December 6^th at the German Society of Pennsylvania.

One hundred fifteen community members reviewed concepts for transforming the street into a safer, more enjoyable place for all users – walkers, bikers, transit users, and drivers. Participants worked in small groups with a facilitator to imagine how different people might use the street and evaluate how two design ideas might function.

The first idea is to swap the parking lane and the existing bike lane to create an additional buffer for bicyclists from moving traffic. In addition, intersection improvements and brand new, better-timed traffic signals would make Spring Garden safer for pedestrians and motorists, respectively.  The second idea was to consolidate the bike lanes and expand the median to create a path down the center of the roadway for walkers, joggers, and bicyclists. Traffic improvements would also accompany this option.

Both ideas included new opportunities for landscaping, trees, stormwater management technology, lighting, and other amenities. Participants evaluated the strengths and weaknesses of both ideas as it related to each of five scenarios: walking, living, owning a business, and bicycling on Spring Garden Street. The final scenario asked each participant to discuss their own individual interest in the street.

At the end of the night participants reported back to the larger group on key points in their discussion and meeting facilitators called out common topics based on a real-time computer compilation of all the ideas received.

The Pennsylvania Environmental Council will now incorporate the comments from the participants into the design process and continue to work with stakeholders and public agencies to select a preferred greenway option – one that is cost effective, meets the goals of the project, and reflects the opinions of those involved in the design process.

If you did not have a chance to attend the Community Design Workshop, but would like to provide your input and stay involved, please click here. The next public meeting will be scheduled in late April.

To examine the greenway options in detail and read more about the scenario exercises, click on the links below:

Greenway Design Options

Community Design Workshop Scenarios

MEDIA COVERAGE

• Reimagining Spring Garden Street As A Green Hub
• Will Spring Garden get the green light?
• Planners seek input on Spring Garden Street
• SGSG on CBS3
• SGSG on 6ABC

“Will Spring Garden get the green light?” by Valerie Russ

Imagine Spring Garden Street as a green, park-like corridor comparable to the Ben Franklin Parkway.

Al Girard, treasurer and a board member of the Spring Garden Civic Association, said he expects the Spring Garden Street Greenway project, now being developed by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, to turn that idea into reality.

Design proposals show Spring Garden Street before (top) and after improvements that could come to the busy corridor.

“It will really be beautiful,” said Girard, who describes Spring Garden as a “utility street.” “At the end of this project there will be two very beautiful streets, very close to each other. I think it’s amazing.”

- READ MORE -

“Reimagining Spring Garden Street as a Green Hub” by Steve Tawa

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Plans are in the works to turn Spring Garden Street into a greenway that is a hub of activity for drivers, cyclists and others, connecting the Art Museum area to neighborhoods around the Delaware River.

Pennsylvania Environmental Council Executive Vice President Patrick Starr says right now, Spring Garden acts as a barrier that cuts off the energy from center city and from the neighborhoods on the north side.

“It could be a great connector, but today, it’s a divider,” Starr says.

Environmental planners see Spring Garden Street's width as an asset. (Credit: Steve Tawa)

He says Spring Garden has a bit more width and capacity to handle multiple uses, and it’s a straight 2.2 mile shot between the Art Museum and the Delaware River waterfront.

- READ MORE -

This is a simple design that can be accomplished with just paint, but what what could it look like if we designed new curbs and trees for added protection, shade, and stormwater management?

Come share your thoughts at the Community Design Workshop on Tuesday, December 6th at 6:30pm at the German Society of Pennsylvania (611 Spring Garden Street). Register for FREE today: http://sgsg.eventbrite.com

The formal presentation began with welcoming remarks by Patrick Starr, Executive Vice-President of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC). [To see the full presentation given on October 27th, click here.] Starr provided background on how PEC became involved in this project and noted that his organization’s mission is to protect and restore the natural and built environments which includes urban trail development such as on Spring Garden Street.

“We are not just about the birds, trees, and outdoors, but we’re really about the built communities as well, and this project that we are here tonight to talk about exemplifies that,” Starr said.

Spencer Finch, Director of Sustainable Development at the PEC, then provided a short introduction to the project and outlined the ways in which the community will have opportunities to get involved.

“Many projects start in a boring way with government trying to do whatever they are doing. Other projects start with the artist, with a vision, but don’t necessarily understand the process to make it happen. We are trying to marry both–we have everybody in the room, support from the City and many, many government agencies, we know the process, and we want to translate the vision from everybody in this room into a new Spring Garden,” Finch said.

Scott Page, Principal of Interface Studio followed Mr. Finch and talked about the history and conditions as they exist today on Spring Garden Street.

“There are so few streets in this city that are as wide as Spring Garden, where we have so much space to work with, but that also connect the rivers, have transit connections, connect neighborhoods, but also suffer from some existing vacancy. So, a goal of the project is to use investment in improving the street to also improve the storefronts and neighborhoods that meet Spring Garden,” Page said.

The presentation concluded with remarks from Douglas Adams from Sam Schwartz Engineering, the consulting team leading the engineering design and analysis. Adams discussed the transportation options and talked about making Spring Garden Street a “Complete Street.”

“A Complete Street is a street that attempts to meet the needs of all of its users with appropriate facilities. So from a pedestrian standpoint, adequate sidewalks, adequate crosswalks that feel safe. For transit, it could mean extensions at bus stops so that buses don’t have to pull so far over to the curb. For cars it means hopefully not making traffic worse. For bicycles, appropriate facilities for them. So this project is very much a Complete Streets project,” Adams said.

Adams then talked about two traffic configurations to accommodate new bicycle and pedestrian space. One option looks at swapping the bicycle lane and parking lane to protect riders from moving traffic. The other option would consolidate the space from existing bike lanes and transform the middle of the road into a protected and landscaped median.

The meeting closed with three input activities. Participants were invited to write a postcard taken from the perspective of walking on Spring Garden Street in ten years. Participants also used sticky notes to pin ideas for improvement at certain locations on a map of Spring Garden Street. Finally, attendees used sticky notes to respond to examples of each of the two greenway options taken from around the world.

These options will be explored more fully at a Community Design Workshop on December 6th at 6:30pm at the German Society of Pennsylvania (611 Spring Garden Street). The workshop will give community members a chance to join in the design process and help select a preferred greenway option. For more details and to register, click here: www.sgsg.eventbrite.com

To see the full presentation given on October 27th, click here.

Want to get more involved in the Spring Garden Street Greenway design process?

Become a “walkability auditor” and help measure the safety, access, comfort, and convenience of the walking environment on Spring Garden Street.

When and where is this happening?
Saturday, November 5th, 2011
10:30am – Noon
Meet at the northeast corner of Broad and Spring Garden Street

What should I bring?
Comfortable walking shoes. Pen, paper, clipboard, tape measure, stopwatch and a camera are encouraged, but not required. We will have supplies to share.

What is a Walkability Audit?
A walkability audit is an objective examination/evaluation of the walking environment. The general purpose of an audit is to identify concerns for pedestrians related to the safety, access, comfort, and convenience of the walking environment. In addition to identifying problem areas, an audit can be used to identify potential alternatives or solutions (such as engineering treatments, policy changes, or education and enforcement measures). More information on walkability audits here.

Where will we be going?
Team leaders will break the group up and teams of at least two will be observing the conditions of several blocks of Spring Garden Street and reporting back through an easy to follow audit checklist.

Please register to let us know you’re planning to attend. THANKS!

Thursday, October 27, 2011
Community College of Philadelphia, Lecture Hall C2-28, Center for Business & Industry
Corner of 18th and Callowhill Streets

6:30 PM Refreshments
7:00 PM Program Begins