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West Philadelphia Landscape Project
Mill Creek Coalition
In Spring 1999, the West Philadelphia Landscape Project entered a new phase in partnership with the Mill Creek Coalition (MCC), a group of residents, businessmen, politicians, and clergy from across the Mill Creek neighborhood.Together WPLP and WCC are engaging in a community planning and development.In response to concerns of MCC members, the focus of WPLP was extended from public school education, water resource management, and open space planning to tie in other community development issues as well, including housing conditions, health and safety related to the presence of the buried creek, employment, and creation of local business opportunities.

Assessing Subsidence and Flooding Conditions: Pilot Research Project (Summer 1999)

Mill Creek History, Challenges, and Community Development:a course sponsored by MCC and WPLP, February-April 2000.

 

 

Assessing Subsidence and Flooding Conditions: Pilot Research Project (Summer 1999)

In July 1999, two officers of the Mill Creek Coalition (Crystal Cornitcher and Preston Nasir), two WPLP research assistants (Laura Lanza and Rafael Jiminez), and Anne Whiston Spirn conducted a pilot investigation to assess housing conditions related to flooding and subsidence in the buried floodplain of Mill Creek.They went house-to-house within a ten-block area, talked with residents, and examined basements and site drainage. Besides the anticipated findings, the study yielded some unexpected results, namely that there is also significant, serious water-related damage to building foundations outside the former floodplain due to poor site drainage.The scope of future work was revised to address these problems and the opportunities they represent for home-owner education and small business creation.

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