In the past decade, the fields of Urban Planning and Epidemiology have gloriously been crossing paths both in academia and amongst practitioners. Innovations such as health impact statements (HIS) in land use and rezoning requests is one benefit of this cross-discipline pollination. After a decade-long comparison of vacant lots and improved lots, a University of Pennsylvania study
-> Continue reading Science meet Vacant Lots – Urban Health Watch
From 1801 to 1970, the Philadelphia Navy Yard served as a landfill and incinerator, contaminated by shipbuilding and other industrial activities. Since 1970, the area has been largely abandoned, until recently, when the city decided to redevelop the area with a commitment to sustainability, reflecting Mayor Nutter’s goal of establishing the city as the greenest
-> Continue reading Converting Brownfields into Green Energy Generation Sites
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society conducted a study of vacant land in Philadelphia with consultants Fairmount Ventures, Inc. The resulting report explores the legal basis, public policy rational, and financial mechanism of a new approach to vacant properties. The previous management system of vacant properties is described as “Reactive, Intermittent, and Fragmented” and the PHS presents
-> Continue reading Managing Vacant Land in Philadelphia
The Philadelphia Housing Authority recently received federal permission to release one-third of PHA-owned vacant property to the public. Under Michael P. Kelly, PHA’s new administrator, the PHA actively works to revitalize vacant properties and address the city’s affordable housing problem. The PHA coordinates with non-profit organizations and the private sector to develop revitalize local neighborhoods
-> Continue reading Philadelphia Housing Authority actively addresses vacant property dilemma