Philly residents asked to help shape Parkway development plans

Organizations are looking for citizens’ input in their new plans to renovate the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

The Parkway Action Plan, sponsored by the city government along with PennPraxis, will hold a series of community meetings beginning Monday to discuss the kinds of programs and projects area residents people would like to see on the Parkway.

Patrick Morgan, chief of staff for the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation department, says the plan is about enhancing connections to communities and neighborhoods in the area.

“There’s been a series of pedestrian improvements; there’s new bike lanes along the parkway, connections for walkers; there’s new street trees,” Morgan said. “I wouldn’t say that we are going into it with something already in mind, because we’re so early in the process.

  • WHYY thanks our sponsors — become a WHYY sponsor

“We’re open, very open, to being informed — not just by the process itself, but by the public,” he said.

PennPraxis is the applied research arm of the School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania, providing opportunities for faculty and students to collaborate on real-world projects.

Meetings will be held Monday and Tuesday this week and next week. Residents are encouraged to attend for focus-group discussion.

For information and meeting locations, call 215-898-1112.

WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.

Want a digest of WHYY’s programs, events & stories? Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Together we can reach 100% of WHYY’s fiscal year goal