49th and Chancellor Proposal

8/6/2019 49th and Chancellor Proposal

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Ta

bleo

fContent

s

W e s t P h i l a d e l p h i a H i g h

U r b a n S t u d i e s C l a s s

S p r i n g 2 0 0 8

Introduction/SummaryPage 3

Goals/Objectives ......................... Page 4

Needs/Problems .......................... Page 4

West Philadelphia History ............... Page 5

Procedures ................................. Page 6

Demographics ............................. Page 6

Key Personnel ............................. Page 7

Timetable ................................... Page 8

Budget ...................................... Page 9

Transformation ............................ Page 10

New Infrastructure ....Page 11

Our Design ................................. Page 12-13

Next Steps .................................. Page 14

Acknowledgements ....................... Page 15


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M

Page 3

West Philadelphia students in the Urban Studies Class hope to fix the com-

munity to help insure a positive view of the community. So far some of the stu-

dents in the Urban Studies class including the proposal team had passed out sur-

veys to the community to get the community feedback. Also we had a community

clean up on April 5, 2008 to clean up some of the garbage that is surrounding the

lot. Our plans for the lot are to plant some vegetation, paint benches, de-weed,

and to create a miniature park.

We are West Philadelphia High School students that are trying to make posi-

tive changes in a vacant lot on 49th

and Chancellor St. Some West Philadelphia

High School students are in an urban studies class and throughout the year we

discussed urban issues, and for our final project we are putting everything we

learned into fixing the 49th and Chancellor St. vacant lot. We as a class need to

make a decision to do something with this vacant lot that will be beneficial for old

In

trodu

ction

/Summary

Picture or something

1


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Page 4

Goals/Objectives

As a class we want to change people s views about West Philadelphia High

School by making a positive change at 49 th and Chancellor Street.

Our goals are:

To fix the vacant lot and provide a better place to enjoy

To make neighbors have more pride about their neighborhood

Make the community believe that West Philadelphia High School is

not as bad as the media displays it to be

Also to unite the community with W.P.H.S

N e e d s / p r o b l e m s

There are many problems/needs that exist around the

vacant lot at 49th and Chancellor St:

One of the problems that exists around the vacant lot area is violence

Also another problem is people in the neighborhood not cleaning up and just

having trash around the neighborhood

One of the needs that is major in this neighborhood is to keep it clean

Another need for the neighborhood is to fix the lot and provide the community wi

a better place to spend time

People in the community feel as though the community has a bad reputation so

Issu

es&Objec

tives

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W e s t

P h i l a d e l p h i a h i s t o r y

West Philadelphia started out as a farmland

outside of the city of Philadelphia in 1854, when it

became a part of Philadelphia. In 1872 the University of

Pennsylvania moved its campus to West Philadelphia. In 1892 Drexel Institute opened at

32nd and Chestnut. During this time affluent white people settled in West Philadelphia in

mansions.

In the early 1900 s transportation changed West Philadelphia. Trolleys were used

to get in and out of the city, and the Market-Frankford El was built in 1910. The

inexpensive transportation allowed middle class families who were Italian, Jewish, and

African American to move to West Philadelphia. Most of the houses were built between

1910 and 1940 during this time of population expansion.

The increase in population led to the need for a high school. West Philadelphia High

School was built in 1911. The student body was primarily white, and the building was

separated by sex ( boys and girls ) . In the 1920 s the two buildings became one and it

has been that way ever since. Even though the building didn t change, the student bodybecame primarily African American. Between 1925 and 1970 African Americans moved to

West Philadelphia in greater numbers. In 1925 West Philadelphia s African American

population was 30,495 and by 1970 it reached its peak at 184,865.

Over the last 30 years gentrification has been occurring. University of Penn s

expansion has meant that college students and university related people moved into the

area by the high school. West Philadelphia High School has stayed almost 100% African

American. During this time West Philadelphia High School hasn t had the best

relationship with the community. The school has been known for fights, fires, and bad

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ABrie

fHist

ory

3

48th and Walnut on July 12,1911 (from phillyhistory.org)


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p r o c e d u r e s

Urban Studies students did many things beneficial to the lot-

Made plans on what to do with the lot

Met with the neighborhood which the lot is located in

Collaborated with the neighbors to help clean up the lot

Did a survey with the community about the lot

Proc

edure

s/Statistics

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Pa

KeyP

ersonnelInvolved

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The Urban Studies class has had a year long partnership with the Univer-

sity of Pennsylvania, and along with community input, the professors and

students from Penn have helped use on a weekly basis throughout this

In picture above students from WPHS and Penn, teachers and professors work

on their original lot designs.




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t i m e t a b l e

Description of Work Start and End Dates

Phase One Planning Phase 01-08/05-30-08

Phase Two Gathering Resources 06-01-08/08-31-09

Phase Three Make it happen design the lotand make it better 09-08/10-09

Phase Four Maintain the lot by visiting it. Continuing



Time

tableForPr

ocess

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Page 8

Community Survey Summary

Our class went door-to-door and distributed a survey to the residents of the con-cerned blocks. They either told us through the survey or in face-to-face conversa-tions what they would like to see done with the lot. The wishes of the community

were important in our design efforts.

Items most people wanted included:

Garden

New benches

Flowers

Bushes/shrubs

Mural

Trash cans

Decking on half the lot/flowers on the other half

Everyone interviewed said they would be willing to help to maintain the lotmostagreed a reasonable expectation was to help twice a month.


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Bud

get

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Item Unit No Unit

Cost

Expanded

Cost

Notes

Bluestone Paving 72 $40 $2880 Two entrance areas

Fence 160 $45 $7200 Delgard Madrid Black 8

Gates 4 3 wide2 entrance

Picnic Tables 4 $850 $3400 Landscape Forms

Gretchen

Grill 1 $600 $600

Trash Receptacles 4 $500 $2000 Landscape Forms

Gretchen

Flowerbed 277 $6 $1662

Community Gar-

den

440 $6 $2640

Grass 263.3 $4 $1053

Benches 4 $1600 $6400

Bench 2 $1200 $2400

$30,235.00Total without Labor

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Summary of Survey Results from Community-

Items most people wanted included:

Garden

New benches

Flowers

Bushes/shrubs

Mural

Trash cans

Decking on half the lot/flowers on the other halfPage 10

Transformingthe

Lot

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The lot at 49th and Chancellor in its current state.

We want to transform the lot into a community center.

Jane Golden, who is thehead of the Philadelphia Mu-

ral Arts Project, came to tell

and show us about the pro-

ject. She seems to support

our efforts.

Murals have a transforma-

tive effect on formerly bare

walls. We want a mural to

be part of our design pro-ject.


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New

Infras

tructure

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Kish Valley Grill for the picnic area.

Madrid fence for the perimeter of the lot.

Gretchen benches for the picnic area.

We suggest new infrastructure at the lot to help beautify the lot,

but also to ensure that it serves the community for years to come.

New benches for the lot.


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Our

Design

The design is the combination of the wishes of the residents and a previous

design effort in our class. We tried to create a place where everyone in the

community could enjoy.

We have planned for a small community garden to occupy the north part

of the plot. This is to ensure that members of the community have an in-

terest in keeping the plot in good order. The garden could also be a future

partnership project between the school and the community to educate

about the growing process and benefits of a healthy diet.

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Our

Design

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We designed a picnic area in to the lot. This is a place to meet, and enjoy

the company of your neighbors.

We included tree cover so that residents will have adequate shade .

There will be an abundance of flowers to make the plot colorful and at-

tractive.

There is also a grassy area designed for kids to play. Adults will not have

to worry about their young running out into the street because of the

fence surrounding the plot.


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What would we like to see?

Provide money to help the Urban Studies Class stu-

dents complete the project

Provide your help and resources

Pass along our proposal to your contacts people you

think are interest in our project

Recognize West Philadelphia High School studentsaccomplishments and achievements

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WhatNext?

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Current Endorsements

The Enterprise Center

Walnut Hill Community Center

University of Pennsylvania Students

West Philadelphia High School principals

The West Philadelphia High School UrbanStudies Academy


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Page

Partic

ipants&Tha

nks

Our urban studies class would like to especially thank-Chancellor Street Residents and Block Captains

Jason Custis

William Brown

The Enterprise Center CDCMia King

The Mural Arts ProjectJane Golden

University of Pennsylvania PartnersMichael Nairn

John Puckett

Elaine Simon

Members of EDUC410/ URBS 327 Fall and

Spring Semesters

Walnut Hill Community OrganizationWest Philadelphia High School

Principal Saliyah Cruz

*Any and all people left off this list that helped us along this

process.

Urban Studies Class Proposal Crews

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Documents

49th and Chancellor Proposal