Kavita Karmarkar, Joseph Tursi, James Chun

Blight to LightAdaptive Design City Scale

Solutions in Context

• 28% Properties abandoned or vacant in Germantown• Up to 54 steps and 12 agencies to acquire vacant land• Poor Economic Drivers – every action has a reaction

• $70 million lost in delinquent taxes so far• $20 million lost annually to maintain vacant properties

• Lack of green space/zoning• Negative perception of neighborhood – personal and public

Online Survey Results (Issued November 2011)

▪ Q : In which zip code do you live?

▪ Q : How would you rate the perceived availability/quality of the following within the Central Germantown Commercial District?

▪ Q : How would you rate the perceived availability/quality of the following within the Central Germantown Commercial District?

Mapping out the Solution

Economic Empowerment

Solution 1 – Revitalizing the neighborhood through economic development.

Proposed solution 1 - Empowerment Zones

• Space for food trucks (food from the local organic farms to be used and waste to be sent back to local farms)

• Courtyard revitalization (corner of Wister and Germantown avenue to be redesigned)

• Funding – tie-up with Equal Dollars for maintenance

• Storm water collection for the entire parking

• Solar panel installation above parking (future opportunities)

The mall

Courtyard revitalization

Proposed solution 1 - Empowerment Zones

• Basketball Court Funding : from sports brands)• Day and Night

Market• Earth-ship shed

(to be used as a green house / storage space)

Corner park

• Decision tree showing the reuse of vacant buildings

• CMX (commercial-mixed zone) for land which is further down the streets from Germantown

• Business below & Residence above

• Active Parks (rezoning) in the neighborhood)

• Tax Incentives for business who want to move into vacant land

Current zoning

CMX 2.5 : Commercial Mixed Use RSA 5 : Residential single family attachedRM 2 : Residential Multi family SP-PO-A : Active Parks and Open space

Possible changes in zoning

CMX 2.5 : Commercial Mixed Use RSA 5 : Residential single family attachedRM 2 : Residential Multi family SP-PO-A : Active Parks and Open space

Reuse of vacant buildings

Is the Structure Stable?

YesKeep structural members intact.

Change the building skin, internal and

external walls. Layout same

Design Charrette

Begin agreed upon

design.Possible

solutions - Co-working

space, library, Artist’s studio

No

Structure razed and construction waste reused and

recycled. More varied usage

possible.

Design Charrette

Begin

agreed upon

design. Overbuild

to accommod

ate for future

expansion. All new

construction to be

LEED ratedPossible

solutions – Restaurant

, food market,

Mechanic shop

Is the Structure Strong and in good condition?

Yes

More floors can be added to make more

saleable areaCommercial space below

( office / retail) and residence

above

No

Go as per initial plan

Charrette Design – Suggestions on Who to Include

▪ Neighborhood Representatives

▪ Utilize Community Anchors – Churches, Community Development Corporations, NGO’s, etc.

▪ Architect

▪ Landscape Architect

▪ Structural Engineer

▪ Philadelphia Department of Labor and Industry Representative

▪ MEP Engineer

▪ Construction Manager

▪ Sustainability Consultant

▪ Zoning Official

▪ Interior Designer

▪ Industrial Designer

▪ School Official

▪ Fundraising Director

▪ Business Consultant

▪ Building owner

▪ Charrette Facilitator

Solve the problem of high

cost of home repair and

foreclosuresEntire mall to

be self-sufficient in

terms of electricity,

water, waste disposal, food

etc.

Long Term (10+ Years)

No vacant properties and no loss of taxes

due to vacant properties.

Put PV panels on the mall roof and parking area

(shading for parking) - electricity

generated used locally

All old construction to be retrofitted to

be ’LEED’ rated

Medium Term (10 Years)

All vacant land being actively reused. All vacant buildings in

the process of retrofitting or new

constructionEncourage diverse

business to enter the mall.

Ensure all materials to and from the food

trucks is localActive Day and Night

Markets which will generate revenue

Encourage local matches / academy

to use it.All new construction

to be ’LEED’ rated

Short Term (5 Years)Forming land bank and

solve the issue of allocation of vacant

propertiesComplete revitalization

of mall and courtyard and encourage people to set up food trucks.

All storm water goes to the ground or reusedGenerate interest in

the day / night markets – encourage people to come and

show their skillsConstruct the basket

ball court and the earth ships

Change the zoning in the area – more

flexibility for usage of vacant properties.

Develop a tax structure to give

incentives to people to invest in vacant

properties.

Immediate (2 Years)

SWOT analysis – empowerment zones

Strength• Tries to keep all the resource's

within the community (self-reliant and resilient)

• Tries to get the community involved in its development (charette and equal dollars)

• Tries to generate job opportunities for the local people.

Weakness• Reuse of vacant buildings

into non-residential usage can possibly bring unwanted elements into the neighborhood.

• The lane between Germantown and corner park may have traffic problems (may disturb the residents)

Opportunities• Research and development in

field of PV panels could bring down the prices which could enable on-site electricity generation.

• Revitalization may result in diverse businesses and investments entering the area which will develop it further.

Threats• Some anti-social elements

benefit from keeping the neighborhood poor. Hence they might oppose development.

• External changes like taxes, inflation may affect the development of the area.

Green Clean Art Machine

Solution 2 – Neighborhood Beautification and attracting the arts.

The Clean Green Arts Machine Timeline

0-5

• Construct proposed structures, zoning and tax discussions• Streetscape Improvements• Build Strong relationships with community• Education component – curriculum changes

5-10

• Expand venue guests and collaboration with other areas• Home improvements, rent controlled apts.• Increase walkability• Block Captains

10+

• Renewable energy systems• Tourism focus • Performance Goals – net zero energy, carbon neutrality by 2030• Annual events, large scale ongoing festivals and activities

The Clean Green Arts Machine SWOT Analysis

Strengths- Double effect of greening area

and managing storm water- Aesthetically attractive - Accessible to bikers- Family friendly atmosphere- Music and event venue able

draw in large crowds from outside area to fuel economy

Weaknesses- Maintenance concerns- Gentrification perception –

propose tax structure policy- Cost of initial implementation- Must determine what

neighborhood wants and respect their desires

- Parking limited

Opportunities- Possibility expanding technologies i.e. solar panels on telephone poles- Alter perceptions over time- Building Level improvements - Building credibility regionally,

nationally, internationally

Threats- Unexpected weather patterns- Vandalism- Neighborhood apathy in

caretaking - Political Corruption- Loss of grant funding

Maintenance and Metrics

Maintenance▪Equal Dollars presence ▪Connection with local schools and community anchors. ▪In the future identify block captains to slowly take charge and “own” their street▪Focus on organic growth, one that community members value

Metrics• Measure success with periodic surveys on satisfaction of changes• Offer continual conversations of improvements and tweaks during community meetings• Passive observations on school performance and attendance• Study economic impacts of venue events• Gauge amount of weekend traffic and collect data on stormwater

The Clean Green Arts Machine The Corner Park

The Clean Green Arts MachineThe Streets (BEFORE)

The Clean Green Arts Machine The Streets (After)

Green Walls

Green FacadesLamp post designs Trees from “TreePhillly”

Murals

Large planters

Pervious Pavement w/ bike path

Pocket Parks

Rain Barrels

Gorilla GardeningSolution 3 – Urban Farming and Education

Key Goals of Gorilla Gardening

▪ Large central farm▪ A large space where all

forms of gardening, composting and selling of produce originate from.

▪ Beautification▪ Use living walls to produce

cleaner air and provide natural habitat.

▪ Education▪ Work with local schools to

teach self reliance and stewardship.

Gorilla Gardeni

ng

Large scale neighborhoo

d Farm

Beautification of

Neighborhood

Education

Proposed Area

• Yellow• Proposed site of main urban

farm. The central location.• Orange

• Property of local church. Possible partnership in use of land. • Space could almost double

in size.• Brown

• Composting site/recycling center.

• Blue• Pocket parks/gardens. Possible

location for living walls around the neighborhood.• Possible locations for

growth.

What you will see in the Neighborhood

Composting Center

Pocket Gardens

A healthy and happy community

Earthship Greenhouse

Living Walls

Future Goals

0-5 •The central farm will begin to grow crops steadily year round. The neighbors will start coming by on the weekends. Few people permanently working on farm.•Living walls will begin to grow and blossom.•The local schools will start taking field trips to the urban farm.

5-10 •The Central farm has grown to almost full capacity and the addition of the Earthship greenhouse has started to produce food year round. More equal dollars recipients are showing up to help.•Living Walls are now covering 75% of all vacant wall space in the target area. Also few pocket gardens have started to sprout.•Summer camps have the youth in the community learning how to be resilient and self reliant.

10+ •The Central Farm now has 2 Earthsiph greenhouses and has started selling its produce to local restaurants. •The Living walls cover 100% of the blank wall space and the pocket gardens are taking off. Local residents are using the equal dollars program to work on these separate parks.•The summer camps are a success and a high school students are now volunteering on the farm to earn credit in school. Some have even gotten scholarships in the Sustainable Design program at Philadelphia University.

SWOT Analysis

Strengths• Beautify the

neighborhood.• Grow local fresh

produce.• Positive spin on

abandoned property.

Weaknesses• Doesn’t address

the economic situation.

• Intensive start up.• Small scale for the

neighborhood.

Opportunities• Has potential to

grow beyond borders.

• Involves entire community (youths-elders).

• Potential for permaculture.

Threats• Lack of community

involvement.• Land becomes hard

to obtain.• Community rejects

idea entirely.

Vacant Lot

Pocket Garden with Living Wall

References

▪ http://esuf.org/about/

▪ http://www.koko.org/world/journal.php?jID=26

▪ http://punkrockpermaculture.wordpress.com/2012/03/21/new-urban-permaculture-e-book-announcement/

▪ http://tournesolsiteworks.com/wordpress/index.php/2010/07/pizzeria-mozza-update-expanded-vgm-edible-livi

▪ http://eartheasy.com/grow_raised_beds.htmng-wall/

▪ http://www.tractorsupply.com/know-how_Gardening-101_learn-how-to-build-a-raised-garden-bed

▪ http://www.flyingkitemedia.com/features/greenjobs1025.aspx

▪ http://www2.epa.gov/border2020/urban-compost-center

▪ http://www.openideo.com/open/vibrant-cities/concepting/urban-youth-farming-2013-teachin

▪ g-kids-nutrition-job-skills-and-community-involvement-while-returning-pavement-to-nature/

▪ http://www.discdesign.com/COS/prosperity.html