Cities: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

by Ada McCartney

“Sustainlane” City Ranking:  #8 of 50 most populous cities in U.S. “City on the move” 

Organizations and Initiatives

◦     Mayor's Office of Sustainability created July of 2008 (http://www.phila.gov/green)

“Our plan is to become a strategic consumer, manager, and producer of energy … We also want every Philadelphian to have equitable access to healthy environments.”  -Mayor Michael Nutter

▪     “Greenworks Philadelphia”  ambitious plan from the office of sustainability that lays out specific target goals in areas of energy, environment, equity, economy, and engagement to be met by 2015 by both government and citizens. 

◦     Zoning Reform (www.zoningmatters.org)

▪     Believes that “a zoning code should be fair, sensible and smart. Philadelphia's current zoning code is out-of-date and out-of-touch”

▪     “[F]ollows the progress of the Zoning Code Commission as its members work to produce an improved code for the City.  The site provides information on issues and trends in zoning and draws connections to the larger context of urban planning in Philadelphia. It is designed to keep the public informed and involved”

▪     Best Practices: http://www.zoningmatters.org/files/Best_Practices_Report.pdf

◦     Green Plan Philadelphia (www.greenplanplhiladelphia.com )

▪     A collaboration between Philadelphia city agencies and 11 partner organizations to “reconnect all Philadelphians to green parks and open space by developing a long-term vision, preparing a strategic plan, and implementing the plan’s recommendations over 15 years.”

▪     Open Spaces Plan:  Focus on creating safe, welcoming public spaces through collaboration, citizen empowerment, informed public decision making,  and community involvement

▪     Best Practices: (http://www.greenplanphiladelphia.com/node/56)

◦     Postgreen Philadelphia (www.postgreen.com)

▪     Independent real estate firm focused on modern, affordable, green housing

▪     Both New construction and rehabilitation

▪     “triple bottom line approach” to each project

▪     Future Projects include:   commercial and mixed-use buildings along the developing Girard Ave and Frankford Ave corridors, and low to moderate income housing with modern and green design to keep our artists, entrepreneurs and working class in the neighborhood

◦     Media Mobilization (www.gridphilly.com)

▪     Free magazine distributed all over Philly with 'green' news and resources

Obstacles and Objections

◦     Christina Kobland (http://reviews.citypaper.net/articles/2010/12/16/christina-kobland-native-return)

▪     Believes that the environmental movement has been co-opted by urban agriculturists at the expense of wildlife preservation.

▪     Strong-armed the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education intowithdrawing a zoning variance request that would have let it host a composting facility.   She says they would have killed groundhogs. 

▪     Works against the Urban Framing Initiative that is part of Greenworks Philadelphia, because, she says, it threatens valuable animal habitat.