An exhibition and conversation series about our changing relationship with the river as it was, as it is, and as it could be, inspired by the 1924 City Parks publication: The Redemption of the Lower Schuylkill. Panel conversations delved deeply into questions about the condition of and relationship to the river in times past imagined potential of its role  in our city's future. River Stories, an oral history project, captures selected contemporary impressions of the river from a wide range of perspectives. 

What does a city do to respond to its vacancy crisis? What might Philadelphia imagine for its future; what ideas might be generated if we looked at the 40,000 vacant properties as assets, not as liabilities? How might the repurposing of this land inform new ways of living in the urban environment? Philadelphia LANDvisions inspired innovative thinking about the future of Philadelphia’s vacant land inventory. This three-phased initiative employed the lens of Philadelphia’s ecology along with community voice to generate new, ecologically sounds design solutions for the city.

Art in the Open Philadelphia (AiO) is a citywide biennial event that celebrates artists and their inspirations for creating art in the urban environment.  AiO turns the Schuylkill River Banks into open air studios for a selected group of juried artists to explore new working methods, develop process-oriented projects, and respond to the intersection of urban and natural environments.

Urban Arboreta: transforming ground will transform urban vacant lots into self-sustaining and environmentally sound models for nursery production. Urban Arboreta will have a strong community focus, offering educational programs and opportunities for professional job training in the nursery trade, benefiting the ecological, social and economic health of Philadelphia's neighborhoods.