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West Philadelphia Landscape Project

WPLP Timeline

1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002

1986

Proposal submitted to J.N. Pew Charitable Trust for collaboration between Penn, Philadelphia Green, and West Philadelphia Partnership

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1987

Proposal funded and work begins with Philadelphia Green.

Data Collection and Planning begins

Course: First WPLP studio, Penn LARP (Smith)

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1988

Many gardens built, including: Westminster Community Garden and Pennsgrove Community Garden (http://www.upenn.edu/wplp/plan/pennsg.htm)

Project: First Digital Database

Study of eight community gardens (http://www.upenn.edu/wplp/plan/garden.htm)

Course: Mill Creek Studio, Penn LARP (Spirn, Smith) produces design for Aspen Farms and vacant urban land

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1989

Construction of landscape projects, including Aspen Farm Main Street

Blockscape Program begins (http://www.upenn.edu/wplp/plan/block.htm)

Field survey of all vacant lots in West Philadelphia

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1990

Report: "This Garden is a Town": Shaping the Community Garden

Spirn presents WPLP at international conference on landscape planning in Hannover, Germany

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1991

Report: West Philadelphia Landscape Plan: A Framework for Action

Report: Models of Success: Landscape Improvements and Community Development

Report: Vacant Land: A Resource for Reshaping Urban Neighborhoods

Report: Shaping the Block: Redesigning Small Urban Neighborhoods

Funding for WPLP from Pew ends

Planning magazine includes a story on WPLP

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1992

Thomas Hine writes column on WPLP in Philadelphia Inquirer. "Surroundings: A Long Buried Creek in West Philadelphia"

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1993

National Public Radio's Living on Earth airs a story on WPLP

Spirn presents WPLP to OECD's Program on The Ecological City

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1994

The Philadelphia Planning Commission publishes The Plan for West Philadelphia with no mention of environmental problems associated with Mill Creek

Planning magazine features "Dig These Gardens" a story on WPLP

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1995

Support for WPLP from Penn's Center for Community Partnerships begins

Mill Creek Studio, Penn LARP (Spirn)

Mill Creek Project at Sulzberger Middle School begins

Redesign of Digital Database

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1996

First WPLP website

Transforming the Urban Landscape Studio, Penn LARP (Spirn) first online student projects

First Sulzberger garden project at Aspen Farms

Report: West Philadelphia Digital Database

Hydrological study of Mill Creek Watershed

Grant from Philadelphia Urban Resources Partnership supports Mill Creek Project with WPLP, Aspen Farms, and Sulzberger Middle School

EPA invites Spirn to present WPLP to federal and city officials, and convenes working group on Natural Resources Inventory of Philadelphia Region

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1997

Power of Place: Water, Schools, and History, Penn; Urban Studies (Spirn)

Power of Place: Visions for Our Mill Creek Neighborhood

Sulzberger students present their visions for the Mill Creek neighborhood at University of Pennsylvania conference

First WPLP/SMS/Aspen Farms Summer Program

Two SMS interns work on WPLP, learn web-authoring, and produce first issue of SMS News: Volume 1: Summer Program 1997

Redesigned and enlarged WPLP website wins awards

Sulzberger wins Best Design, Philadelphia Region, Fifth Annual National Engineers' Week Future City Competition, for "Silver City" (coached by WPLP RA Martin Knox)

Transforming the Urban Landscape Studio, Penn LARP (Spirn)

Grant proposal to EPA for Mill Creek Project with WPLP, Aspen Farms, and Sulzberger Middle School is turned down

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1998

Power of the Place: Introduction to Urban Environmental Design; Penn, Urban Studies (Spirn) designs for [17]Mill Creek Miniature Golf Course

SMS teacher Glenn Campbell and 2 SMS students receive standing ovation from the Pennsylvania legislature after their presentation of Mill Creek Project to and as part of Governor Ridge's Budget Speech (http://www.upenn.edu/wplp/sms/award.htm)

Second WPLP/SMS/Aspen Farms Summer Program

Two SMS interns work on WPLP and produce second issue of online SMS News: Volume 2: Summer Program 1998

Transforming the Urban Landscape Studio, Penn LARP (Spirn)

Sulzberger named "School of the Month" by the Philadelphia School District. Spirn named "Person of the Month"; a 30-minute documentary airs daily throughout the month on cable television.

Mill Creek Coalition invites Glenn Campbell to speak about the SMS/WPLP Mill Creek Project

Stories about SMS/WPLP published:

Glenn Campbell writes "Learning Gets Real With Service." About Penn/SMS Mill Creek Project in Philadelphia Daily News

Boorse, Michael. "GFS Junior Teaches Art of Making Webs." Chestnut Hill Local.

Spirn publishes The Language of Landscape (Yale University Press), which features WPLP

Michigan Public Radio airs "The West Philadelphia Landscape Project"

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1999

Power of the Place: Introduction to Urban Environmental Design; Penn, Urban Studies (Spirn)

Mill Creek Coalition invites Anne Spirn to speak about WPLP and to join the MCC's Environment Committee

Pilot research project on subsidence and flooding conditions with Mill Creek Coalition

WPLP/MCC submit joint proposal to Fannie Mae Foundation: "Flooding, Subsidence, and Community Development in an Urban Watershed: West Philadelphia's Mill Creek". It is not funded.

Spirn takes staff from Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) Office of Watersheds on a tour of Mill Creek Watershed

PWD submits a new proposal to EPA based on the 1997 proposal and it is funded. PWD plans to work with WPLP, Aspen Farms, SMS and MCC.

NBC Nightly News features SMS Mill Creek Project (http://www.upenn.edu/wplp/sms/award.htm)

Public Radio airs several programs on WPLP

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2000

President Bill Clinton visits Sulzberger Middle School

MCC/WPLP sponsor sessions for neighborhood residents on Mill Creek history

PWD hires Sarah Williams, former WPLP RA to work on Mill Creek project

Story: "Landscape Organism: The West Philadelphia Landscape Project," Landscape Architecture, March 2000.

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2001

Power of Place: Introduction to Environmental Design; Penn, Urban Studies (Spirn)

Power of Place: Media Technology, Youth, and City Design and Development; MIT, Architecture/DUSP (Spirn) (http://architecture.mit.edu/class/place)

PWD/SMS host summer watershed program and build a demonstration project, "The Watershed," on a vacant lot across street from SMS front door.

City of Philadelphia is awarded $35 million grant to from HUD to renovate Mill Creek Public Housing as a demonstration project incorporating watershed management and community development. PWD and Philadelphia Housing Authority will work with residents and SMS.

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2002

Media Technology and City Design and Development; MIT, Architecture/DUSP (Spirn, McDowell)

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