While the Philadelphia Flower Show is only weeks away, local residents were discussing citywide greenery early. However, in this case, the green isn't something to be happy about.
Yesterday, more than 70 students, faculty members, staff and residents of the West Philadelphia community were on hand to hear about the city's efforts to clean up and beautify vacant lots found both in the West Philadelphia neighborhood of Mill Creek and throughout the rest of the city.
There are currently more than 31,000 vacant lots -- unoccupied plots of land frequently filled with trash heaps or abandoned residences -- in the city of Philadelphia. In the Mill Creek area alone, 20 percent of all lots are vacant and in need of some form of repair or beautification.
Yesterday, a panel of four speakers from both the University and the city of Philadelphia addressed the issue.
They brought up concerns ranging from the community impact of the beautification of vacant lots to the potential of water damage caused by fixing them up.
The series is designed to be a public conversation exploring the "challenges and opportunities of remaking land in Philadelphia," according to the Urban Studies Web site.
The city has not only involved the University in their endeavor, but it has also looked to the Horticultural Society and the Water Department for help.
Speaker Maitreyi Roy, director of the Philadelphia Green Program, said that the "core of the work is to build partnerships," between city groups and the community."
Roy went on to say that in dealing with the vacant lots sometimes "the cost of not doing anything" has to be weighed against "the cost of changing something."
According to Roy, a recent Wharton study concluded that planting a tree in front of one's property could raise the value by as much as 10 percent.
According to Michael Nairn, a landscape architect and professor of Urban Studies, government agencies are starting to work together on the issue of vacant lots.
"The thinking is changing," he said.
Mill Creek resident Lorelle Becton said that the city and University's involvement and effort has been "all positive."
The number of vacant lots in Philadelphia has decreased by about half since the beginning of the partnership, and this has brightened the spirits of some in West Philadelphia.
"We're looking for hope," Becton said.
