WPLP

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The accomplishments of the West Philadelphia Landscape Project since 1987 are the collective product of hundreds of individuals, many partners, and diverse sponsors. In addition to the contributions of about fifty WPLP staff, are those of the more than 100 students from Penn and MIT and about 300 students from Sulzberger Middle School.

Overview  |   Project Partners  |   Project Staff  |   Project Sponsors

Overview

The West Philadelphia Landscape Project has integrated research, teaching, and community service since 1987. It has brought together teachers and students at universities and public schools, members of neighborhood groups, and public officials on a wide range of activities.

Accomplishments include: tangible, sustained, community development; a new curriculum for an inner-city middle school; a community database; innovative applications of digital technology; and proposals for watershed management now being implemented by the City of Philadelphia. WPLP has been featured in newspaper articles, professional journals, national radio and television broadcasts, and international conferences and symposia. Since 2000, WPLP has been based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Project Partners

MIT and Center for Reflective Community Practice

Since 2000, when WPLP director Anne Whiston Spirn moved to the Departments of Architecture and Urban Studies and Planning, WPLP has been based at MIT. WPLP is also affiliated with the Center for Reflective Community Practice, whose core research and development activities are organized around long-term community partnerships. CRCP director Ceasar McDowell and Spirn co-teach Media Technology and City Design and Development, which produced the new WPLP website in 2002. In 2000-2001, Frances Walker, then chair of the MCC's Environment Committee, was a fellow at CRCP.

  • University of Pennsylvania and Center for Community Partnerships
  • Aspen Farms Community Garden
  • Sulzberger Middle School
  • Mill Creek Coalition
  • Philadelphia Water Department
  • Environmental Protection Agency
  • Philadelphia Green

    Project Staff

    Project Director:

  • Anne Whiston Spirn (1987- )

    • Project Managers:

  • Martin Knox (1997-1998)
  • Robert Cheetham (1996-1997)

    • MIT Research Assistants (2000 - ):

  • Anne Bowman: Mill Creek history (MCP 2011)
  • Omari Davis: Web design (MCP 2009)
  • La Tonya Green: WPLP Network (PhD candidate)
  • Elizabeth Ramaccia: WPLP archives and new initiatives (MCP 2011)
  • Desiree Sideroff: WPLP history (MCP 2002)
  • Bridget Smelzer: Mill Creek history, summer intern (BA Smith College)
  • Jeremy Steinemann: New initiatives, Web design and Webmaster 2010 - (MCP 2012)
  • Jase Wilson: Web design and Webmaster 2006-2008 (MCP 2008)

    • Penn Research Assistants (1995-2000):

  • Laura Aibel: Urban Watershed Project, 1995-1996; MRP 1996
  • Robert Cheetham: webmaster 1996-1997; Digital Database Project 1995-1997; MLA 1997
  • Danielle Floyd: Penn-Sulzberger Summer Program 1998; College, 2001
  • Kamni Gill: Urban Wetland Curriculum, 1998; Penn-Sulzberger Summer Program, 1998; MLA 1999
  • Damon Hein: Digital Database Project 1995; MLA 1995
  • Rafael Jiminez: Mill Creek Coalition Project 1999 - 2000; BA 2001
  • Marcia Karasek: Digital Database Project 1995; MLA 1995
  • Martin Knox: Project Manager 1997-1998 Mill Creek Curriculum Project 1996-1998; Community-Based Environmental Curriculum 1996; Penn-Sulzberger summer program 1997; MLA 1998
  • Laura Lanza, Mill Creek Coalition Project, summer 1999; Ph.D. candidate in City and Regional Planning
  • Yu-Ting Lee: Mill Creek Curriculum Project 1997; Penn-Sulzberger summer program 1997; MLA 1998
  • Elizabeth McPherson: Mill Creek Archives Project 1997; Nursing 1999
  • Charles Neer: WPLP web-design, summer 1997; Sulzberger Middle School Projects 1997; MLA 1999
  • Cynthia Ott: Mill Creek Archives Project, summer 1997; Ph.D. candidate, American Civilization
  • Carla Radoslovich-Delcambre: Mill Creek Coalition Project, 2000; Penn MLA 2001
  • Kevin Smith: Aspen Farms Construction; Penn-Sulzberger Summer Program, 1998; M. Arch., 1999
  • Sam Spirn: Webmaster 1997-1999; WPLP/SMS Summer Program 1998, 1997; WPLP Web author 1996-1999; Germantown Friends School 1999
  • Rachel Sterling-Boyers: Sulzberger Middle School Projects 1995-1996; MLA 1996
  • Sarah Williams: Webmaster 2000; Mill Creek GIS Project; MLA 2002

    • Sulzberger Middle School Summer Interns:

  • Rasean Frasier, SMS 1998
  • O'neil Hall, SMS 1999
  • Tyshara Owen, SMS 1997
  • Justin Parish, SMS 1997
  • Keith Sisco, SMS 1998
  • Fatima Williams, SMS 1998

    • West Philadelphia Landscape Plan and Greening Project Staff (1987-1991)

    Principal Investigators:

  • Anne Whiston Spirn, University of Pennsylvania
  • Gerri Spilka, Organization and Management Group

    • Project Managers:

  • W. Gary Smith (1987-1989)
  • Michele Pollio (1989-1990)
  • Mark Cameron (1990-1991)

    • Consultants:

  • Bilge Friedlander, 1988-1989 (Photography)
  • John Radke, 1988-1991 (Digital Database)
  • Shlomo Zev, 1990-1991i (Digital Database)

    • Penn Research Assistants:

  • Tarna Agranat: MLA 1991
  • Geoffrey Anderson: MLA 1991
  • John Berg: MLA 1989
  • Christopher Britton: MLA 1989
  • Mark Cameron: MLA/MARCH 1991
  • Kacey Constable: MLA 1991
  • Sarah Cunningham: MLA 1990
  • Sharon Fitzgerald: MLA 1990
  • Elizabeth Koreman: MLA 1988
  • Ruth Loewe: MLA 1988
  • Daniel Marcucci: MLA 1992
  • Adit Pal: MLA 1991
  • Michele Pollio: MARCH 1989
  • Jeffrey Poor: MLA 1990
  • Rafael Real de Asua: MLA 1990
  • Karen Reutlinger: MLA 1989
  • Elissa Sharp: MLA 1991
  • John Widrick: MLA 1989
  • Laura Will: MLA 1990
  • Rumi Yoshimi: MLA 1993
  • Wei Xu: MLA 1990

    • Organization and Management Group:

  • Gerri Spilka

    • Philadelphia Green, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society:

  • Blaine Bonham, Michael Groman, Patricia Schreiber, Sally McCabe, Denise Jefferson, Susan Ross, Jonathon Frank

    • West Philadelphia Partnership:

  • George Brown, Blondell Reynolds

    • Project Sponsors

  • School of Architecture, MIT
  • Center for Reflective Community Practice, MIT
  • Center for Community Partnerships, University of Pennsylvania (support for research assistants, 1995-2000)
  • Computer Graphics Laboratory, Graduate School of Fine Arts, University of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (support for research assistants, 1997-1998)
  • Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (Spirn fellowship,1995-1996)
  • Philadelphia Urban Resources Partnership (support for WPLP/SMS/Aspen Farm Parnership,1996-1998)
  • W. K. Kellogg Foundation (support for teaching assistant, 1997-1999)
  • Ford Foundation (support for summer research assistant, 1997) Intergraph Corporation (hardware and software, 1988-1991)
  • J. N. Pew Charitable Trust (West Philadelphia Landscape Plan and Greening Project grant 1987-1991)