Innovative Place Making Emerges from Existing Communities
Philadelphia, PA | 2023
Kina and her design studio partner Ying Zhang, created youth oriented design guidelines at the beginning of this project, which stemmed from their observations of this existing neighborhood adjacent to the first botanical garden in the United States, Bartram’s Garden. Additionally their final design along the Schuylkill River, is derived from the existing neighborhood fabric, at the block scale, at the community scale and at the 15 minute walk scale. Each of these informed the direction for this new intergenerational neighborhood with a community land development and ownership model.
Considerations based around the predominant dwelling prototypes, small scale commercial and institutional neighborhood blocks, land use, connectivity, and existing blue-green infrastructure as well as resiliency needs, also directed the design. Additional project elements included pedestrian and biking connectivity that interweaves resilient recreational green space, community amenities centered around spaces for young Philadelphians to gather, and a connection between the northern residential neighborhoods and the river walk.