The grant also supports evaluation of the work\u2019s impact on social connectedness.<\/p>\n
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. \u2014 The Pew Charitable Trusts announced today that it awarded $1.15 million over four years to the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) to support the second phase of its greening plan for Philadelphia\u2019s Nicetown and Tioga neighborhoods, which is the first community-driven, neighborhood specific plan of its kind for the organization. The strategy is dedicated to creating more community spaces with grass, plants, trees, and flowers, as well as programs that bring residents together.<\/p>\n
Pew\u2019s funds will be used to continue community connectedness programs, including a front porch beautification challenge; support resident leaders in advancing community priorities; enhance already beautified lots with solar lighting, signage, low-maintenance plantings, and fence improvements; and clean and green new lots.<\/p>\n
The grant will also help PHS to collect resident feedback, strengthening the evidence for the impact of greening on social connectedness and community safety. For example, in one study, residents living near greened lots reported significant reductions in feelings of depression, had measurable decreases in stress, and were more likely to use outdoor space to relax and socialize. Other research has shown that neighborhoods where residents are more connected to each other are more resilient in the face of challenges or crises, such as heat waves, natural disasters, and even the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n
More than 400 residents engaged in the first phase of the planning process \u2014 led by PHS, Nicetown CDC, and Tioga United \u2014 which identified four priorities: reduce trash, increase access to healthy food, reduce crime, and increase job opportunities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is incredibly grateful to The Pew Charitable Trusts for supporting the second phase of our community-driven greening plan for Nicetown and Tioga,\u201d said Matt Rader, president of PHS. \u201cPew\u2019s investment serves as a vote of confidence in our work and in neighborhoods, and we look forward to continuing to collaborate with residents and other partners to support social connection, achieve community priorities, and expand the model to other places.\u201d<\/p>\n
The grant spans two of three focus areas for Pew\u2019s work in Philadelphia: community and cultural vitality and community safety. Along with a third focus on economic advancement, Pew is committed to helping Philadelphians and their communities thrive.<\/p>\n
\u201cPew is pleased to support the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society\u2019s dedication to enhancing community connectedness while expanding the evidence base for greening as an intervention to reduce community violence,\u201d said Donna Frisby-Greenwood, Pew\u2019s senior vice president for Philadelphia and scientific advancement. \u201cAt Pew, we believe that Philadelphians need to be able to meet their basic needs, feel safe in their neighborhoods, and have access to public and community spaces and cultural enrichment. Only when these needs are met can people begin to think about gaining skills and finding quality jobs that lead to economic advancement.\u201d<\/p>\n
A 2018 University of Pennsylvania study found that neighborhoods below the poverty line where vacant land has been restored or greened experienced a 29% reduction in gun violence. While homicides in Philadelphia are at the lowest level in 60 years, Nicetown and Tioga are among the 10% of the city\u2019s neighborhoods where 40% of shootings take place. This data, combined with the community\u2019s priority of reducing crime, made it important for Pew to also invest in and evaluate greening\u2019s effects on violence. Pew has therefore partnered with the University of Pennsylvania\u2019s Crime and Justice Policy Lab to analyze data that will be collected during the grant period.<\/p>\n
Estelle Vaughn, a resident and member of the Nicetown and Tioga \u201cGreen Team,\u201d which is the community-led steering committee for the plan, summed up the importance of these efforts.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re grateful to everyone who has supported our community in achieving its goals,\u201d Vaughn said. \u201cWe\u2019re looking forward to continuing to partner with PHS and fellow residents to create a cleaner, greener, safer, and more connected neighborhood where everyone can thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The grant also supports evaluation of the work\u2019s impact on social connectedness. PHILADELPHIA, Pa. \u2014 The Pew Charitable…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":284733,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29],"class_list":["post-284732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania-headlines","tag-pennsylvania-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=284732"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284732\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/284733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=284732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=284732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=284732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}