Philadelphia to transform vacant lots into green community spaces under new pilot project

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The corner of Diamond and 33rd streets in the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood of Philadelphia was once a hot spot for illegal dumping.

The barren site surrounded by a rotten fence was filled with logs, stones and bricks. Trucks drove by on a regular basis to toss everything from construction debris to sofas.

Today, a freshly painted green fence surrounds a lush community space with pollinator plants waiting to bloom.

The site is one of 10 publicly-owned vacant lots throughout Philadelphia slated to be transformed into community spaces as part of the city’s new pilot program, “Lotscapes.”

“I think one of the great things about this project is that over the next two to three weeks, you’re going to see those pops of color. These plants are going to start flowering,” said Gerald Bright, assistant director of the city’s Office of Clean and Green Initiatives. “With some maintenance, it’ll come back year after year, and spread. It’ll fill in so much that it’ll keep the weeds out.”

There are about 40,000 vacant lots throughout Philadelphia, according to city officials, and about 20% of those are publicly owned. Strawberry Mansion has the highest concentration of vacant land in Philadelphia as a result of racist housing policies like redlining, as well as disinvestment and demolitions during the 1960s.

“We always remember that some of these lots represent families. There was a family, there were houses on this parcel,” said Tonnetta Graham, executive director of the nonprofit group Strawberry Mansion Community Development Corporation.

“Through a lot of deterioration, a lot of other things that are faults of our own and faults of the system, we lost a lot of families. We lost them because the houses were just dilapidated. Now, we have so much opportunity for growth in the neighborhood.”

The city is partnering with nonprofits, including the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. The visions for the transformed green spaces will be community-led, and could offer educational and playtime opportunities for kids, or provide community gathering spaces.

The initiative is based on recommendations of the Office of Clean and Green Initiatives’ Clean & Green Cabinet and 10-Point Greening Plan.

PHS helped remove weeds and trash at the site in Strawberry Mansion, which will be cared for twice a month throughout the year. Trainees of Fast Track, a workforce development program within the city’s Streets Department, helped to transform the lot.

“Every space in our city that’s not a building — a backyard, a vacant lot, a street, a park, a public space — can somehow be turned into something that makes life better for all of us, something beautiful to look at, a source of employment, a source for environmental health,” said Matt Rader, president of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.

The city plans to expand the program in 2027 to provide more opportunities for community-based organizations to transform vacant land.