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Volunteer Reflects on
MLK Design Day of Service
Philadelphia's
first MLK Design Day of Service for design professionals - rDream - was co-sponsored by the Community Design Collaborative, NeighborhoodsNow,
and Fairmount CDC. The day of service offered one-on-one design consultations and a design workshop
for residents and businesses in the Poplar-Girard neighborhood.
Architect Andrea Marzolf led the design workshop, which brought residents of the 2900 blocks of Cambridge and
Harper Streets together to brainstorm about how to improve the appearance of the
string of garages, back gates and fences, and rear yards that face homes on
Harper Street. "Our job was to help residents on Cambridge Street reconsider the
backs of their houses,"said Andrea, "The fronts of these houses look really
great, but people can tend to overlook how the back looks." Both Harper and
Cambridge Streets are well-organized, with block captains and regular cleanups,
but this issue required a cooperative approach.
With temperatures in the low twenties, the workshop got off to a crisp start
with a visit to the site. Andrea recalled, "We walked out to the site with the neighbors. A
longtime resident knocked on people's doors, and more neighbors joined us. One
neighbor out for a run even stopped to give us her opinion! On the site walk
back, everyone began warming up to each other... it was great to see people from
the different blocks talking to each other."
The conversation continued around the table, where residents discussed basic
repair needs and different ways they could improve the block face. The design
team then sketched up a range of options for combining paint, plantings,
lighting, and paving. Fairmount CDC will use these sketches to help residents
select an approach and identify an initial improvement project to take on
together.
"Everyone had their own wish list", noted Andrea, "Our goal was to keep the
project feasible without it feeling like a big compromise. I live in the
neighborhood, so I'll have a chance to walk by and check up on progress!"
Drew Lavine and Jill Lavine also worked with neighbors (and sketched furiously) as part of the design workshop volunteer team. Volunteers Nissa Grant, Laura Raymond, Lynn Przywara, Amy Owen Jones, Keith Simon, and Doug Perry met with individual homeowners and business owners to discuss exterior building improvements.The Collaborative thanks Michelle Robinson, Richard King, Nissa Grant, and Andrea Marzolf for helping to plan and manage rDream.
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