Practicing
Influence ARCH 737, Fall 2012
Interview
Transcript
Date: 9/19/2012
Student Name: Sylvia M Kline
Interviewee Name: Ashley DiCaro
Group / Association: Interface Studio
General Topic / Interest: Pedestrian Corridors / Spring
Garden Greenway
Interface
Studio is currently working on the Spring Garden Greenway in collaboration with
Sam Schwarts Engineering.
[SK]: What are your firm’s primary responsibilities
associated with the Spring Garden Greenway Plan?
[AD]: We
are responsible for community engagement and public relations associated with
the project. We host public meetings, are responsible for branding of the
project and marketing. We primarily are responsible for getting the name out to
the community. Community meetings are held in association with the Spring
Garden Civic Association.
We are working closely with the Sam
Schwarts Engineering firm, but primarily responsible for publicity within
Philadelphia and the local communities.
[SK]: What is your company’s
personal interest in the project?
[AD]:
We were approached by the engineering firm to assist in the project’s
development. We are the local firm for the project and the utilization of our
local resources and contacts are utilized for the development and publicity.
The
mission of the project coincides with our current mission’s goal of creating greener
community oriented space, as is posted on our Website.
Mission Statement ( http://interface-studio.com/about/)
“Interface Studio LLC is a full-service planning and
urban design practice based in Philadelphia. Founded in 2004 with the
intention to start as a small, collaborative office and remain so, we are today
a successful company of seven professional planners working together on a
diverse array of projects ranging from neighborhood plans in Philadelphia to
corridor studies in Chicago and Macon, a master plan for Hamtramck to an
industrial strategy for Detroit. Our plans have been recognized with
state and national awards, including three American Planning Association National Planning Excellence Awards, two for Grassroots Planning (2009 and 2012)and one for Public Outreach (2010) as well as a national award forPlanning and Analysis from the American Society of Landscape Architects (2010).
We believe the process of urban
planning is evolving, becoming increasingly graphic, grassroots-driven, and
interactive. With the growing presence of technology in our world comes
near-constant visual stimulation, unprecedented access to information, and an
empowered generation of do-it-yourself activists. Interface Studio’s
planning approach celebrates these shifts. Our brand of urban planning is
steeped in color, accented with humor, fluent in today’s technologies, and
calibrated to create platforms for resident-experts to contribute in meaningful
ways to plans that will guide the future of their communities, cities, and
civic spaces.
Described as hip and nimble, we are
a team of creative thinkers and doers. We strive to be accessible to all
audiences with a style that is approachable, artistic, playful, and intended to
welcome the public into the planning process. We believe big ideas
require incremental steps to sustain momentum from the planning process and
build confidence that positive change is coming. Our ideas thus balance
long-term goals with short-term or temporary projects and events that bring
people together, raise money, and shape local policy.
We offer a unique approach to
planning, communication, and implementation tailored to today’s culture and economy
and committed to revitalized urban futures.”
[SK]: What are the
project’s goals (whether required by Philadelphia or personal for the firm) for
the Philadelphia Green Way?
[AD]: Create a commutable corridor, which is accessible for
pedestrians, bikes, and develops traffic control. The Project is to create a
complete street. It is about everyone, not about being likeable or being “super
green”, but being likeable and useful for all participants.
[SK]: How does the
planning of the Spring Garden Greenway coincide with the larger scale plan of
the East Coast Greenway?
[AD]: The plan is along with the same primary goals and
connections created through the East Coast Greenway. The Coastal Greenway
appoints state representatives who then hire firms to design and complete the
work. The state committees are crucially important to the creation of the
individual greenway paths throughout the state.
[SK]: What are your personal thoughts on
Philadelphia’s walkability and pedestrian areas?
[AD]: They defiantly need a lot of work. We hope that
through the Spring Garden Greenway creates a progression which will propel the
city in the right direction. We hope that this project becoming a reality
propels other good existing plans into a reality as well.
[SK]: Can you or your
firm be contacted in the future for other Philadelphia planning, Spring Garden
Green Way, and other projects your firm may be associated with?
[AD]:
Absolutely.
P: 215.925.5595
Practicing
Influence ARCH 737, Fall 2012
Interview
Transcript
Date:
9/19/2012
Student Name: Sylvia M Kline Interviewee Name: Robert Pierson
Group / Association: Farm
to City
General Topic / Interest: Pedestrian Corridors / Farmers Markets
[SK]: What is the primary goal of the Farm to City
program?
[RP]: Our
mission is to connect communities, planners, residents and farmers; to create
opportunities for access to good, fresh, healthy food.
[SK]: What is the most
successful part of the Farm to City program?
[RP]:
Although the Farm to City program consists of five or six different programs
associated with the connection between the rural farm and people within the
urban context. The most successful of these programs is the farmers markets
program and the second most successful is the farm share.
[SK]: How are the locations for
the farmers markets chosen and by what criteria?
[RP]:
The majority of our information about where to place farms is through personal
interviews and suggestions. The majority of the locations are placed in
ordinance with the fact that the success of the farmers market is entirely
dependent upon word of mouth and visual recognition throughout daily life. Most
people when asked how they found out about the market or learned up it, have
heard from a friend or saw it when passing by and decided to stop the next
time.
These findings mean that farmer
markets are placed in highly visible locations with lots of walkers. It is
necessary that each farm have local partners for publicity and support.
Local regulations, permits and a
specific neighborhood’s history and existing knowledge of the project as a
whole is also crucial to each markets success. Specifications must be met for
how good a community is and how much they are willing and able to spend for the
goods. Along with this, the selected farmers supplying markets must meet the
neighborhoods specifications for pricing and demand. The specific farmers
depict the individual prices for the goods sold. The majority of current
farmers markets are in demographically high income areas, due to the price of
the products that are sold and the farmers required price in order to meet
their own financial needs.
Each farmers market must have a
strong social mission and a desire for improvement within the neighborhood,
connections, and sustainable practices.
[SK]:How does the
program work, for example, are farms picked by the organization and give a
place to sell?
[RP]: Within existing markets, farmers are selected for what
they are capable of growing and what their sale expectations for their product
are. These are matched with the needs of specific markets and neighborhoods.
If the
prospect is for a new market then the sale expectation as well as needs of the
community, found through various surveys, are of primary importance to the
location of the farmer market. Farmers are also encouraged to suggest their own
location for farms.
The primary
importance in farms chosen and location of farmers markets is about balance and
supply for a community in need.
[SK]: How is the
program expanding?
[RP]: One attempt at expanding that has yet to be reached is
the idea of whole sale markets. It is a personal goal to have this accomplished
within the next year. It has been on the books for two years now. This is
currently in the market phase, where it is advertised through pamphlets hoping
to gain further support. The idea of whole sale markets is to create an
opportunity to help low income communities. This, although a strong component
of the mission, has yet to be reached due to the needs of the farmers. The hope
is that the introduction of whole sale markets will be able to reach the low
income communities within Philadelphia.
Practicing Influence ARCH 737, Fall 2012
Interview
Transcript
Date: 9/19/12
Student Name:
Sylvia M Kline Interviewee Name: Patricia Freeland
Group / Association: Spring Garden Civic Association
General Topic / Interest: Pedestrian Corridors / Spring
Garden
[SK]: What is the primary goal of your organization?
[PF]: We
have many goals as an organization, but our primary goal is to promote a good
quality of life for the Spring Garden residents. We want to create a truly
mixed income community, preserve our historic architecture, and create
beautification through implementing green gardens and planting trees through
the Philadelphia horticulture. We hope to foster harmony within the
neighborhood, promoting working together towards the goal of beautification of
the neighborhood and promoting community gardens. We also encourage and promote
the education of our “youngsters” and furthering education.
[SK]: How is your organization
involved in the Spring Garden Greenway Project?
[PF]:
We have been very active in implementing meetings and developing a community
wide response to those meetings. We have created the opportunities for
community interest meetings to take place.
After a call today, it seems as
though the engineering firm, Sam Schwartz Engineering Inc., is interested in us
initializing and discovering a meets of fundraising. Although is a large
surprise, we will do whatever it takes by whatever means possible to create an
opportunity for the completion of the project.
I personally, the organization and
the general community are very excited about the prospects of the project and
its success.
[SK]: What about the project do
you personally feel is missing or lacking?
[PF]:
After today’s evaluation, funding is the primary missing point of the project,
much to our dismay. We had previous been told that the funding was in place,
but after a phone call received today it seem as though our organization will
be responsible to provide and initiate some of the funding in order to complete
and specifically to finalize the beautification of the Spring Garden Greenway
Project.
As we have previously experienced in
this neighborhood, previous funding to initialize a project is only able to go
so far. We have numerous very generous community members who have provided the
means to complete projects in the past and we just have to hope that those type
of community members will be able to provide in this project as well.
As a community, Spring Garden is
very enthusiastic to the beautification and the continual process to create
pedestrian friendly neighborhoods.
[SK]: What is your favorite
location in Philadelphia?
[PF]:
I think it goes without saying that Spring Garden is my favorite location
within the city. We truly are trying to create a neighborhood which is proud of
its surroundings, its community, and its outputs into the rest of the city of
Philadelphia.
[SK]: What are your thoughts on
Philadelphia’s walkability and pedestrian areas?
[PF]:
I think Philadelphia’s primary problem associated with walkability is an issue
of connectivity.
I use to bike a lot around River
drive and always found it very difficult to get around without dogging
pedestrians and specifically cars.
The parkway is doing incredible
things to invest and revitalize this area; to connect it to the remainder of
the city. Spring Garden becoming a pedestrian walkway and the removal of cars
from this area is a lofty goal, but an attainable one.
Spring garden has a large disconnect
to the remaining of the city, Center City, East of Broad, and the riverfronts.
Connections become our main problem within the community and the hope is that
the Spring Garden Greenway will provide an ease to this disconnect. The goal is
always to have more people walking.
I believe these are the viewpoints
of the general area of Spring Garden and it’s residents.
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