Green is in, but what about gray?

January 29, 2010

Green is the new black, but what about gray? When we talk about green, we tend to focus on the obvious: expanding the tree canopy, adding insulation to our homes, or taking public transit. Our region is moving full speed ahead on a green agenda that encompasses these efforts and more. We've got Greenworks Philadelphia, the city's master plan, projects to develop various parts of both waterfronts, and countless other groups working on watersheds, urban agriculture, vacant lots, and increased green funding...the list goes on.

So where is the gray in this green agenda? A stroll in some parts of our region can be pretty drab: big industrial lots and warehouses, antique smokestacks, and miles of concrete with the only green around courtesy of hardy plants and the occasional patch of grass. When we think about green development practices and infrastructure, we can't abandon these old bones of our city and region.

An initiative by the Community Design Collaborative called Infill Philadelphia, a partnership with the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC), is attempting to resurrect these lost skeletons as they begin to roll out phase three, which is focused on retooling industrial sites for green, productive uses. Where we might see a structure reminiscent of Philadelphia's industrial glory days, they see vertical farming or the bones for affordable housing units (and new green jobs). They're focusing on the second R of "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" and pushing to imagine shades of green in otherwise gray swaths of the built environment.

The Community Design Collaborative is a nonprofit that offers volunteer professional design services to organizations working to improve neighborhoods and communities. They believe that design is an important part of community re-development, and their Infill Philadelphia initiative has challenged our region's planners and developers to consider how design professionals can tackle failing commercial corridors, reinvent crumbling lots, and now retool industrial sites. (The neighborhood grocery store developer, Jeff Brown, whose leadership on this issue was recognized with a seat in the First Lady's box at this week's State of the Union address, has been a partner in the Collaborative's work.) 

To get the region's leaders thinking more about the possibilities of reimagined industrial sites, the Collaborative is launching a design challenge as part of Infill Philadelphia that will "tackle some of the common issues surrounding retooling older industrial sites in urban neighborhoods." Three volunteer design firms will create conceptual designs for three different sites in the region to present to a juried panel of community development professionals and design experts. The firms and the sites selected to participate will be announced at a February 16 reception and program at the Urban Outfitters headquarters in the Navy Yard shown at left (itself a great example of redeveloping industrial sites for modern use).

For inspiration for the challenge, the Collaborative is presenting a curated exhibition showcasing work of design firms across the country in transforming industrial sites. (The opening reception is Friday, February 5.) Jeff Goldstein, of featured design firm DIGSAU, noted that Infill will push us to "see these buildings and sites in ways you weren't able to see them before." His firm will be exhibiting work done on a former manufacturing facility in Frankford that used to dye threads and yarn. The site, with 17 disjointed buildings haphazardly added over time, is now used by industrial creative artists - metalworkers, sculptors, etc. - in a retooled design that coheres the buildings together, fosters community among the artists, and emphasizes green aspects like stormwater management and energy efficiency. The exhibition and design challenge will help inform assessments of industrial sites by PIDC and other agencies.

A truly green agenda doesn't forget about the gray, and the Infill Philadelphia initiative reminds us to take advantage of the built environment around us. As the project will no doubt demonstrate, retooling industrial sites masterfully blends the region's gray industrial history with the region's green future.

--Christopher Scoville, Communications & Development Manager