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Philadelphia is getting a new green space in Kensington.
The project, Rewilding Philadelphia, is a collaboration among several Philadelphia-based urban conservation organizations and artist Pete Angevine. It was highlighted Tuesday during ArtPhilly’s “What Now: Salonish” event, which explored ideas for keeping Philadelphia unique and sustainable after the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Angevine has been developing Rewilding Philadelphia for years. The William Penn Foundation awarded the initiative a grant this spring.
Pete Angevine tabling with Rewilding Philadelphia project at Salonish event at Athenaeum of Philadelphia. (Chelsea Lubbe for WHYY)
The goal is to transform urban areas into thriving ecosystems that support biodiversity. Using the Miyawaki Method, a technique that creates dense forests quickly on degraded land, Angevine plans to plant 1,500 trees at 2717 Jasper St. in October.
“Kensington is a place where there are layers and intersecting environmental justice issues and economic justice issues. We are creating paid opportunities for neighbors,” Angevine said. “We are going to be able to build an example here and show data, with scientific monitoring about why this is effective.”
Rooted in Kensington
Kensington ranks in the 97th percentile for lack of green space, placing it among the city’s highest-need areas, according to environmental justice mapping developed by the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, a Rewilding Philadelphia partner. Thirty-five species of plants and animals have been documented around the site, reflecting relatively low biodiversity.
And according to a 2019 study, Kensington ranked last among 46 neighborhoods in overall health factors.
The Jasper Street lot is a former industrial site that’s the size of about a dozen typical Philadelphia rowhouse lots. It has space for the components residents say will help the community most, such as outdoor classrooms, picnic tables and stages.
“When it really all came together was when we met with New Kensington [Community Development Corporation], who’s the property owner. It really aligns with the community greening initiatives that they are already doing. The tagline for this project is ‘We heal the land, the land heals us,’” Angevine said.
Angevine said Colombian-born sculptor Pedro Ospina will be the artist in residence for the Rewilding project, working in partnership with the New Kensington CDC, as well as the Recycled Artist-in-Residency program out of Northeast Philadelphia.
“Pedro will be working with the neighbors to make the space more beautiful and functional. We are going to have some paid opportunities to work with Pedro,” Angevine said.