The largest areas of vacant land in West Philadelphia occur
within the floodplain of Mill Creek (now buried in a sewer),
primarily in the Mill Creek neighborhood near the Sulzberger
Middle School. There are continuing problems of flooding
and subsidence over and near the sewer in this urban floodplain.
Professor Spirn has taught several studio courses
investigating how vacant lots might be redesigned to detain
stormwater and provide local open space. The
goal of the Mill Creek Watershed Project is to further
investigate the feasibility of such measures, to develop new
material to support further courses.
Laura Aibel, a graduate student in regional planning (and a civil
engineer), worked in 1995-1996 on a hydrologic model of the Mill Creek
watershed with particular focus on the area surrounding the
Sulzberger Middle School. Using data from the Philadelphia Water
Department and from the West Philadelphia Digital Database, she
tested the potential of various design strategies for
reducing stormwater flow into sewers and compiled a course
packet for landscape architecture students.
Vacant land, flooding, and subsidence on and around the
Sulzberger Middle School property present an opportunity to study
these hydrologic processes at work and for neighborhood
development and water resource management. Vacant lots afford an
opportunity to integrate science education with first-hand
observation and hands-on experience for both Penn and Sulzberger
students. This project provided the background for a
landscape architecture studio course in fall 1996 and fall 1997 which will
explore these possibilities.
This project was supported by a research/teaching grant from
Penn's Center for Community Partnerships.
