The document proposes ways for Philadelphia to transform into a more sustainable city by functioning more like an ecosystem. It suggests initiatives to improve greenspaces, stormwater infrastructure, urban agriculture, cycling networks, and waste diversion. These include increasing native plantings, daylighting underground creeks, expanding urban farms, connecting green spaces with bicycle routes, and setting up city-wide composting. The goal is for Philadelphia to lessen its environmental impact and enhance local biodiversity through closed-loop systems and interconnected green spaces.

1. Greenworks Philadelphia Proposal:
How the City Can Become an Ecosystem
By: Matt Gisondi
May 4, 2015
Capstone Sustainability Analysis
Prof. Alex Dews

2. Existing Greenworks Philadelphia Initiatives
Categories
Energy (4Targets)
Environment (3Targets)
Equity (4Targets)
Economy (3Targets)
Engagement (1Target)
- Guides, reports, and plans to residents, businesses and city officials
- Ultimate goal: transform Philadelphia into the “greenest” city in US
- Report on the shortcomings and challenges as well as successes
2014 Greenworks
(Fig. 1. Greenworks Philadelphia Future Cityscape Concept)(Source: Greenworks Philadelphia 2014 Report) (Source: Greenworks Philadelphia 2014 Report)

3. PersonalView on Urban Development
- Most of the world’s population live in urban areas, 51% according to UN
- Worldwide, urban populations projected to increase
- Cities directly and indirectly contribute to environmental degradation
- Cities are hubs of information and culture with regional and national influence
- Need to function more like ecosystems
- Use closed-loop processes to lessen raw material consumption and waste disposal
- Become enhancements to local and regional biodiversity, and bolster ecosystem resilience
- Reconnect the few remaining patches of wilderness
Reality of Cities
Necessary Change
(Google Image)

4. - Parks: Create quality greenspaces that provide environmental benefits along with pre-existing social goals
- Stormwater: Ensure that stormwater infrastructure functions as effectively and limit unforeseen issues
- Food: Expand the initiative of community farms in both number and operation size
- Transportation: Create arterial bicycle routes, by improving existing cycle lanes, to connect green spaces
- Waste: Support existing alternative waste disposal operations including composting reuse/recycling operations
(Google Image) (Google Image) (Google Image)
Proposal Overview

5. Ecosystem Stewardship in Greenspaces
Suggestion 1:
Native Planting in Parks
and Public Spaces
Increase community involvement and ownership
- Education program on landscaping with native plants
- Promote a community greenspace ownership program
Continue green schoolyard program for public school properties
- schools cover more than 1,400 acres in Philadelphia's combined sewer area, and 67% of
these school sites are covered in impervious surfaces (GreenTreks Network)
- Reconnects city kids and influences them to promote similar projects in neighborhoods
(Fig. 2. PennPraxis Example of Greenspace Additions to Pre-existing Concrete Parks)
(Source: Green Schools’ Video on Albert Garfield Elementary School)(Google Image)
(Google Image)

6. Suggestion 2: Native Planting
on Current City-owned Property
and Future Development Sites
All future landscaping projects by city must use natives
- Includes stormwater management and greenroofs
- Native plants are more effective than adaptive plants
- Research into high quality natives, high biodiversity
Creation of measurement(s) for landscape quality
- Measures number of exotic species to native species
- Measures number of bird and insect species via visual records within a day
- Eventually reinforces new city code of only landscaping with native plants
(Source: Prof. Doug Tallamy Study Results on Native Plant Genus )
(Google Image )

7. Maintaining Stormwater Infrastructure
Suggestion 1: System of
Maintenance and Monitoring
Keep record of residential alerts and testing results
- Records of phone calls and emails to PWD
- Website for work orders and residential alerts
- Annual testing via flow rates, outflow sampling, and/or simulated rainstorms
Provide extra, professional help for monitoring and maintenance
- Internship program for local colleges
- Local collegiate program or PWD training program
- Have separate construction and monitoring branches
(Google Image )
(Fig. 4. Stormwater Flow-rate Test in Portland)
(Fig. 5. Stormwater Infiltration Test in Portland )
(Fig. 3. Installed Stormwater Flow Metering in Portland)

8. Suggestion 2: Utilize Underground
Creek Daylighting to Lessen Stress
on Stormwater Infrastructure
Daylight an additional 5 miles of underground creek
- Around 165 miles of creeks are flowing underground (Gates)
- Some Philadelphia properties above underground creeks are abandoned
- Indian Creek, reduced annual outflows from 2.9 million gallons to 1.2 million gallons (Gates)
New development and property codes to promote daylighting
- Check for underground creeks where there are swaths of abandoned property
- Depending on depth, reintegrate creeks on these properties
- Renaturalize any daylighted creeks, and buffer currently exposed creeks
(Google Image )
(Google Image )

9. Upgrading Gardens into Urban Agriculture
Suggestion 1: Development Aid
to Entrepreneur Urban Farmers
Expansion of existing urban farms or coercion of additional startups
- Provide loans from city to directly invest in urban agriculture
- Provide equipment upgrades as another form of investment
- Short-time tax alleviations for beginning operations; especially in food deserts
Provide better accessibility to local economy
- Connect city farms to small stores, grocery stores, and local distributors
- Provide winter facilities for famer’s markets
- Expand upon FoodTrust’s cornerstore initiative for local economic benefits
(Google Image )
(Fig. 6. FPAC Corner Store Initiative in Philadelphia)

10. Suggestion 2: Increase Land
AvailabilityThrough
Unconventional Expansion
Promote three forms of expansion besides vacant lot purchasing
- Green roofs provide large space, and benefit the building and its residents
- Green walls expand outdoor farming into modular, soil independent beds
- Vertical farming allows year-round farming and controlled environment
Update Greenworks programs and city policies
- Add research and tactics to Greenworks’ Land Trust and FPAC manuals
- Update zoning codes to allow vertical farm establishment in vacant buildings
- Promotion of mixed-use development to include agriculture capabilities
(Google Image )
(Google Image )
(Google Image )

11. Ecosystem Network via Cyclist Routes
Suggestion 1: Provide Better Infrastructure to
Increase Ridership and Attract New Demographics
Focus on areas near/connected to high cycling areas
- Upgrade painted lanes into protected lanes or raised bike tracks
- Provide securer bike storage near transit hubs and areas of high visitation
- Implement teaching and training programs for residents
- Set up Philly Bike Share stations around transit hubs and city attractions
Long term restriction of personal vehicle usage within city
- Monetary penalties to private vehicles (parking fees, road pricing, etc.)
- Traffic Circulation Plan, 3-level separation (private, public, pedestrian)
- Pro-biking infrastructure and policies
(Fig. 7. Groningen Traffic Circulation Plan )(Fig. 8. Copenhagen Cycle Left Turn Diagram )
(Google Image )

12. Suggestion 2: Utilize Cycling
Network to Connect Greenspaces
Use example Green Alley programs for inspiration
- Research into programs from Houston, Chicago, and San Francisco
- Create handbook combining green alley ideas with cycling infrastructure
- Similar high quality, native plant usage for landscaping
Plan for long term network expansion beyond city boundaries
- Connecting to preexisting, regional network encompassing 7 counties
- Ensure natural corridors expand along with routes for better ecosystem connection
- over 800,000 people use the 98.5 mile Schuylkill RiverTrail per year, an activity that
directly contributes $7.3 million to the local economies annually (Bicycle Coalition)
(Google Image )
(Google Image )

13. Closed-loop Alternatives to Landfills
Suggestion 1: Divert ¼ of City Waste
Stream to Composting Operations
Research into a city-wide composting initiative for large-scale possibilities
- Undergo a trash audit or data collection of city waste streams
- Research into U.S. cities that implemented a composting initiative
- Search for viable operators and/or appropriate sites for large-scale composting
Promote creation of more neighbor-hood scale operations
- Provide sites owned by city at a cheaper price to composting companies
- Offer loans to startup businesses for equipment, trucks, and containers
- Begin hiring composting operators for municipal office’s trash stream
(Google Image )
(Google Image )

14. Suggestion 2:Turn Recycling
Stream into Recovery Stream
Support local recovery businesses to attract more startups
- Tax incentives or startup grants/loans
- Hire recovery businesses for city deconstruction projects
- 3.5 acre facility collects pipe, dry wall, ceiling tiles and carpets,
takes in an average of 150-200 tons a day (Pacheco)
Setup warehouse facilities to sell recovered materials
- Provide a loan to recovery businesses to setup this addition on site
- Connect recovery facilities with local hardware stores or craft stores for a
new stream of material exchange
(Google Image )
(Google Image )

15. Recommended Changes/Additions
- Change zoning and planning policies for Philadelphia
- Continue Land Trust and Land Bank programs
- Ensure future initiatives fulfill the triple-bottom-line
- Utilize incentives, regulations, and a mix of soft and hard policies
- Maintain transparency and a critical eye for all programs
- Adopt ideas and methods from other regions of the country as well as from
other cities around the globe: Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Africa
(Google Image )
(Google Image )(Google Image ) (Google Image )
(Google Image )

16. Bicycle Coalition. "Greater Philadelphia's Regional Trail Network." The Circuit. Bicycle Coalition, 2014. Web. 11 Apr. 2015. <http://connectthecircuit.org/#!/>.
Chatterjee, Hannah. Philadelphia Food Policy Advisory Council Annual Report. Philadelphia: Philadelphia Food Policy Advisory Council, 2014. PDF.
College of the Atlantic. “Doug Tallamy: Biodiversity.” Online video clip. Youtube. Youtube, 22 March 2012. Web. 9 Apr. 2015.
Gates, Kellie P. "Daylighting Project Reveals a HiddenCreek." PlanPhilly.WHYY, 21 Jan. 2013.Web. 10 Apr. 2015. <http://planphilly.com/articles/2013/01/21/daylighting-project-
reveals-a-hidden-creek>.
Green Schools: AlbertGreenfield Elementary. Dir. GreenTreks Network. Perf.AlbertGreenfield Elementary School. PhiladelphiaWater Department. GreenTreks Network, Inc.,
Sept. 2010.Web. 9Apr. 2015. <http://www.phillywatersheds.org/what_were_doing/green_infrastructure/programs/greenschools>.
Pacheco, Liz. "Waste Not: Revolution Recovery Is Blazing a Bold New Trail Through the Construction Waste Disposal Business." Grid Magazine. Red Flag Media Inc, 2 Sept. 2011.
Web. 11 Apr. 2015. <http://www.gridphilly.com/grid-magazine/2011/9/2/waste-not-revolution-recovery-is-blazing-a-bold-new-trail-th.html>.
PennPraxis. Green 2015: An Action Plan for the First 500 Acres. Philadelphia: Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, Dec. 2010. PDF.
Saltzman, Dan, and Dean Marriott. 2010 Stormwater Management Facility Monitoring Report. Portland: Bureau of Environmental Services, Dec. 2010. PDF.
Works Cited