Built from a truly collaborative process, the Civic Vision for the Central Delaware and its companion, An Action Plan for the Central Delaware, chart a bold new vision for one of Philadelphia’s must under-utilized spaces, its waterfront. With more than 1,100 acres of land stretched over seven miles –– from Oregon to Allegheny Avenues and the Delaware River to I-95 – the riverfront offers the city a prime opportunity to reverse the trend of regional expansion through greenfield development and encourage the reclamation of undervalued land along the shores of the Delaware River.

As a planning process, the creation of the civic vision and the action plan represents the first time in nearly two generations that the city and its citizens have engaged in a public discussion about the future of a major part of the city. This dialog has helped to raise the hopes and expectations of Philadelphian’s and it has successfully strengthened the voice of the civic realm.

As a civic engagement process, this innovative initiative has served as a model for ongoing citizen participation. Additionally, the citizens of Philadelphia and the region have rallied around a fresh vision for a new place -- a redefined riverfront. And, at the core of the new riverfront is sustainability. The Civic Vision for the Central Delaware and the Action Plan for the Central Delaware recommend investments in the long-term sustainability of the waterfront and the ecosystem.

The strategies outlined in the vision plan and action plan place a new value on the riverfront and reposition natural processes as partners of redevelopment. With this approach, environmental problems are addressed with long term solutions which provide services that give back the City of Philadelphia in multiple ways.

The civic vision and the action plan advance sustainability in two ways: First, the planning process represents a new model for civic engagement that involves the community in truly meaningful ways. Second, at the core of each plan is the overarching idea that the central Delaware riverfront functions as an integrated system and that development practices must seek ensure the long-term sustainability of the riverfront.

The civic vision and the action plan were created through a citizen-driven, open, and transparent planning process. Through a year-long series of riverfront walks, community forums, and large public meetings, over 4,000 of Philadelphia’s citizens gathered to share their goals and ideas for the future of the riverfront. The public discussion led the following guiding principles that informed the final vision for the riverfront:

• Reconnect the city to the river’s edge

• Honor the river

• Design with nature

• Strike the right balance

• Take the long view

• Protect the public good

• Make it real

In addition, the planning process attracted significant press coverage in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News, and on PlanPhilly.com. The interplay between on-the-ground public meetings and media coverage was instrumental to the success of the visioning process as it enabled the conversation about the riverfront to remain public and vigorous. Thanks to ongoing media coverage and regular public meetings, the planning process elicited sustained, long-term, multi-tiered engagement and helped to move political agendas.

As a result of the highly public nature of the project, a vision was created that represents the knowledge of citizens and the best planning practices from around the world. The plan also seeks to advance sustainability at the local level by creating mutually-supporting roles for ecological and urban networks and at the regional level by shifting market demand to more sustainable growth. By positioning the area for the development of mixed-use residential neighborhoods, the plan seeks to focus regional growth back into the city.

Throughout the visioning process, Penn Praxis and the consultant team worked closely with the a variety of partners: For example, in order to ensure the integration of transit and a new street network the team worked with the city Streets Department, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, and SEPTA; and in order to identify locations for inter-tidal wetlands, riparian habitats, parkland, and an extensive parks and open space network the team, worked closely with the city Department of Watersheds and the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Through zoning changes, extensions of the streets, the establishment of conservation easements, the acquisition of land for parks, the restoration of the river’s edge, and the development of a continuous riverfront trail the proposed street and open space networks will ensure that the city honors the river and reconnects to the river. This environmental network is planned for integration with economic and social change, bringing housing on some of the piers and mixed-use development within 150 feet of the river’s edge. The proposed parkland will add value to the neighborhoods that currently adjoin the river and will be an asset for future generations. The proposed parkland will also support active and passive recreation, stormwater management, wildlife habitat, and other critical ecological functions. Together these networks will ensure the long-term sustainability of the riverfront.

The planning process which produced the Civic Vision and Action Plan for the Central Delaware have produced the following results:

-The participation of over 4,000 Philadelphians in the planning of the city’s greatest natural asset.

-The continued engagement of 15 civic associations and their members through the creation of the Central Delaware Advocacy Group.

-The public embrace of the principles of the vision and action plan by the Nutter Administration at a large public gathering at Penn’s Landing in June, 2008.

-The launch of PlanPhilly.com as a new-media outlet covering design, development, planning and sustainability as city and regional issues.

-The reform of the Penn’s Landing Corporation into an open, transparent, waterfront manager with expanded boundaries covering the Central Delaware from Allegheny Avenue to Oregon Avenue.

-The announced intention to create a new public space on Pier 11, the first new public space on the Central Delaware in a generation.

-An effort to create an interim recreation trail along the southern section of the Central Delaware, funded by the William Penn Foundation and the City of Philadelphia.

-The creation of a master plan for the Central Delaware, led by the Philadelphia City Planning Commission.