What we're doing
In North Broad we saw a great opportunity to work as architects with a community in the hopes that through building, and education, we could help this community reveal themselves to the rest of Philadelphia.
What we learned
We learned through our site walks and research that the traditional ‘behind the desk’ approach to urban planning would not work as it apparently had not as evidenced by the current state of our site. Instead, we found it essential to engage the community in order to discover their hopes and dreams as well as infrastructural needs. As such, it was necessary for us to get our hands dirty. We have worked this semester with a bottom up approach in order to ensure that the projects were coming directly from the community. This approach ensured that the community benefitted from our work.
What we saw
Several observations have guided our work both as a group and as individuals within the group assigned to study the area between Cecil B. Moore Ave. and Allegheny Ave. We immediately recognized the accumulation of trash and decay, and a plethora of empty lots and dead spaces as major problems within our site. Upon further research and exploration which included walks up and down the strip and into the neighborhoods, we discovered a community, hidden by the outward appearance of the place.
Four team members were assigned to the Cecil B. Moore to Allegheny section of Broad Street. The projects of this section work to reconnect with history, refresh the streets, empower communities and inspire hope.
Cecil B. Moore to Allegheney
Definitions:
Rust /ruhst/ n. 1. Corrosion, weathered iron, regretful yet cherished, a memory haunted. 2. A
tender sadness, tinged with regret, something akin to nostalgia v. 1. To afflict with decay, to corrupt something once noble and good
See also: malignant memory, the past, comfortable hurt, life unmaintained
Hope /hohp/ n. 1. A positive aspiration, irrepressible optimism in the face of unfavorable
reality, a reason to keep breathing regardless of the outlook or outcome. 2. A defining characteristic of the human condition, a foundation for being however irrational. v. 1. The spontaneous generation of goodwill, to fall in love with the future.
Community /cahm-mew-neh-tee/ n. 1. a group of people who care for and about each other, an
extended family regardless of blood relation, a connection that binds a people together See also: family, neighborhood
