Riverview Public Housing Landscape

In this low-income housing neighborhood, a new palette for the urban landscape was created. Lush plantings at the front provide a social space for gardening and gathering. Plantings in courtyards take advantage of excess stormwater to cultivate a vibrant landscape. Residents were encouraged by the Philadelphia Horticultural Society to plant and maintain barrels on the street. They in turn began to tend their front gardens, and these narrow strips became social spaces, places with a sense of ownership and fostered stewardship. This project is an example of how, by understanding the ways in which people develop and use their own landscapes, one can form an approach that works with processes already in place.

     

Details
Category: Residential
Location: Philadelphia, PA