Urban Transformation: Penn Park
On September 15th , the University of Pennsylvania unveiled Penn Park, a 24-acre green space complete with athletic fields, 2 acres of open space and a canopy of over 500 trees. Open to the public, this new park would be notable anywhere but is a particularly remarkable transformation of an old industrial space. Native plants reduce the need for irrigation and soak up stormwater, and pervious synthetic play fields cover underground cisterns that capture the first inch of rainfall during Early construction at Penn Park, University City, Philadelphia
every storm. These systems divert approximately
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2,000,000 gallons of rain water from the Schuylkill River each year, about the same amount of water the average American household uses in 20 years!
“As the amount of permeable green space grows dramatically in University City, UCD is excited to partner with PWD on Green City, Clean Waters. At the neighborhood level, we look forward to continuing to identify innovative ways of managing stormwater that benefits the entire University City community, from our trailblazing institutions to our local businesses, to our extremely committed residents.” - Seth Budick University City District (UCD)
Completed Penn Park, University City, Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA WATER DEPARTMENT | GREEN CITY, CLEAN WATERS | YEAR IN REVIEW | 2011-2012
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