Penn Design envisions future for closing Philadelphia school buildings

In less than two weeks, dozens of former schools in Philadelphia are slated to become vacant buildings. Recent graduates of the School of Design, however, developed an alternate plan this spring.

These students took the “Philadelphia School Reuse Studio” course this past semester and worked with PennPraxis, the applied research arm of PennDesign, to develop ways to turn school buildings into assets for communities.

Their final report, “New Life for Old Schools,” details how Philadelphia has dealt with vacant school buildings in the past and proposes a new policy so certain sites can be reused.

2013 PennDesign graduate Sara Brandt-Vorel explained that in order to develop the plan, “We just tried to understand as much as we could about Philadelphia.” The students talked to representatives from the School District of Philadelphia as well as other city officials to better understand the situation and establish what is most likely to work.

One focus was on the communities that are affected by the school closings. Daniel Rhine, also a 2013 PennDesign graduate in the class, said, “These are public assets that should remain community-serving, whether that be actually a community vendor or whether that be making sure it’s not vacant.”

The schools need to be made into “things that will give back to community while doing something for the city,” 2013 PennDesign graduate Elana Taubman added.

“That was our goal — to make it a shared challenge,” 2013 PennDesign graduate Lindsey Gael said. “Many of these schools will just end up sitting vacant for years unless everyone is involved.”

In early May, the students presented their report to school district representatives, Philadelphia Deputy Mayor Alan Greenberger and other city officials.

The project was “very well received,” according to Brandt-Vorel. 2013 PennDesign graduate Liza Wallis mentioned that Greenberger was happy to have an academic perspective on the issue.

“They appreciated that more people were interested in the subject and not just in berating them for closing the schools,” Taubman said.

The plan also includes the possibility of a task force, something city officials are currently trying to organize.

If Philadelphia succeeds in reusing its vacant school buildings, it will become a model for other cities.

PennDesign professor Harris Steinberg, the founding executive director of PennPraxis and teacher of “Philadelphia School Reuse Studio,” said, “If this were to be seen as an opportunity rather than just purely getting rid of buildings, it could really set the agenda for other cities who are looking at Philadelphia for guidance in terms of how to manage something of this scale.”

Most students in the class wished there was more they could do more for this proposed plan.

“You always wish that you can take these projects so much further,” Gael said.

“If we had more time, we could’ve taken a step further in creativity,” Rhine added.

Steinberg and the students emphasized how this project can benefit the school district, communities and the city at large.

“We can’t change the fact that they’re closing, but we can influence what they become,” Brandt-Vorel said.

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