The Collaborative has released a report presenting the dozens of design concepts developed at its Industrial Sites: An Interim Reuse Charrette.  The charrette challenged four teams to design temporary uses for vacant industrial sites selected by the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation and the New Kensington Community Development Corporation.

The charrette provoked a new sense of fun and folly toward an often intractable problem. The results focused on temporary, low cost, high impact solutions which can help reclaim, repurpose, and raise the profile of vacant industrial sites in neighborhoods throughout the country.  

Chinatown: 10th Street Corridor
Oddly shaped parcels, diagonal streets and the Reading Viaduct overpass make 10th Street between Vine and Buttonwood a chaotic, confusing place for pedestrians to navigate.  The liabilities of this series of vacant lots were embraced by the team as creative opportunities.  The team envisioned the corridor as a connector and developed elements to decorate and activate the street, like recycled telephone poles and benches.  A vacant lot would be transformed into an open air community center and the triangular lots would become pocket parks and performance spaces.

Chinatown: Noble Street
The blocks around Noble Street between 11th and 12th from Callowhill to Hamilton Streets are unwelcoming to pedestrians, dominated by vacant land and infrastructure barriers like the Reading Viaduct and a PECO Energy Substation. The design team treated the site’s infrastructure as a visual amenity, illuminating the substation and embracing it as an urban sculpture and demonstration site to teach about energy.  Vacant parcels were converted into recreation and activity spaces, particularly as much-needed play areas for children in the neighborhood.

Kensington: Frankford-Norris
A collection of vacant parcels fronting on Frankford Avenue near Norris Street has the potential to capitalize on its location near the Berks El Station and the Frankford Arts Corridor. The team proposed turning the space into community gathering place with old shipping containers converted into temporary retail and art exhibition space, a bandstand and green space. The site would also help connect the community to the nearby “hidden” recreation center.

Kensington: Frankford-Thompson
The former AAA Welding building and a parking lot are located along Frankford Avenue, a developing arts and culture corridor.  The team wanted to create a 24-hour multi-use space with indoor, outdoor and rooftop spaces that would be utilized by many different users and encourage fun and theater.  The Frankford Avenue Playhouse would have a black box theater with movable risers and rooftop space for an urban campground and stargazing. The parking lot would be softened with rain gardens and host a sculpture garden and open-air gathering space.