{"id":279974,"date":"2026-09-06T00:12:26","date_gmt":"2026-09-06T00:12:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/279974\/"},"modified":"2026-09-06T00:12:26","modified_gmt":"2026-09-06T00:12:26","slug":"mural-arts-map-shows-how-to-get-to-philly-parks-using-septa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/279974\/","title":{"rendered":"Mural Arts map shows how to get to Philly parks using SEPTA"},"content":{"rendered":"

Love Philly? So do we. Let\u2019s be friends. Sign up for the Billy Penn newsletter today<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mural Arts Philadelphia\u2019s \u201cGetting to Green: Routes to Roots<\/a>\u201d project has updated its free hand-painted map of ways to reach local green spaces<\/a> by public transportation, and has begun rolling it out to commuters.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The project\u2019s new map has more than tripled the number of parks listed and also added an adventure card deck to help inform and inspire Philadelphians about the many parks they can access.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to make it so that wherever you are in the city, there\u2019s a park you could get to,\u201d said Shira Walinsky<\/a>, the project\u2019s co-lead artist alongside Laura Deutch<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"A map of Philadelphia\u2019s parks and how to get there and an adventure card deck of the city\u2019s parks, part of a public art project supported by Mural Arts and the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. (Kimberly Paynter\/WHYY)<\/p>\n

Along with new hand-painted illustrations by Walinsky, the new map\u2019s expanded number of parks includes smaller green spaces like Center City\u2019s Rail Park and West Philly\u2019s Clark Park, as well as larger standouts like FDR Park and Pennypack Park.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The illustrations highlight one standout flora, fauna or landmark visitors can see at the venue, like a red-shouldered hawk at Cobbs Creek, the wooden slide at Smith Memorial Playground, or the goats at Awbury Arboretum.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The 35 parks are evenly distributed across six large areas of the city, and each has the transit routes listed for getting there.<\/p>\n

The back of the map includes interviews with SEPTA bus drivers, tapping into their transit insights and favorite memories.<\/p>\n

Along with the map, Getting to Green has created a supplemental deck of cards, one for each park listed on the map. Each card includes the park\u2019s address, the transit routes that take you there, its highlights and amenities and even contact information for the groups that help take care of it.<\/p>\n

\"\"An adventure card deck of the city\u2019s parks with information on how to get there, part of a public art project supported by Mural Arts and the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. (Kimberly Paynter\/WHYY)\"\"An adventure card deck of the city\u2019s parks with information on how to get there, part of a public art project supported by Mural Arts and the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. (Kimberly Paynter\/WHYY)<\/p>\n

Part of the project\u2019s inception involved working with immigrant and refugee communities that were new to Philly and didn\u2019t yet know where the city\u2019s parks were. To that end, the maps and cards have some text translated into up to eight languages.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The multidisciplinary art project was funded through a grant from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission<\/a> that ended in June. It has been carried out with support from SEPTA and is up to date with changes made by the transportation agency\u2019s first phase of its \u201cNew Bus Network\u201d<\/a> last month.<\/p>\n

Walinsky said she noticed that the additions to SEPTA\u2019s frequent bus routes \u2014 also marked in red on the project\u2019s map \u2014 had resulted in quicker access to some parks on routes like 21, 57 and 64.<\/p>\n

Getting to Green launched publicly in June 2023 and released its previous map in 2024<\/a>. Along with the maps, the project has installed bus wraps<\/a> and bus-stop posters with maps, organized group bus rides to promote exploration, distributed handouts with facts and scavenger-hunt prompts, held pop-up events and produced a video series featuring conversations with commuters<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"Laura Deutch (from left), Shira Walinsky and Cindy Burstein hold up the previous \u201cGetting to Green: Routes to Roots\u201d map at the 2024 Green Philly EcoFair at Cherry Street Pier. (Nick Kariuki\/Billy Penn)<\/p>\n

The maps and cards are already available at the Free Library of Philadelphia<\/a>, PhillyCAM<\/a> and Cherry Street Pier<\/a>. They will soon be available at Mural Arts Philadelphia and select SEPTA stations. Walinsky said that the group also plans to distribute them at events where it\u00a0 tables and through park groups around the city.<\/p>\n

You can follow Getting to Green\u2019s event schedule on its website<\/a> or through the group\u2019s Instagram page<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Walinsky said researching the artwork and speaking with the people who rely on both SEPTA and the city\u2019s many diverse green spaces has helped her build a broader awareness of the city she\u2019s from.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe more you learn about one aspect of the natural world that we\u2019re connected to the more you want to find out and I think it\u2019s exciting, it\u2019s thrilling and the bus will take you there,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

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