Landscape improvements along 63rd Street in Overbrook Farms designed by Sara Pevaroff Schuh.

Pedestrians and drivers along the 63rd Street Commercial Corridor in historic Overbrook Farms will get a treat this spring when the sidewalk planters built by the Overbrook Farms Club emerge from the snow and begin to bloom.

The landscape improvements were designed by Sara Pevaroff Schuh, Principal of SALT Design Studio and a regular Collaborative volunteer, as part of a larger effort by the Overbrook Farms Club (OFC) to enliven its neighborhood commercial corridor, which extends from City Line Avenue to Woodbine Avenue. The initial idea for the project came from a master plan for the corridor that Collaborative volunteers developed in 2007 to provide OFC with a vision for revitalization and strategies for beautification, façade improvements, and site identity.

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According to Steve Culbertson of Impact Services, working with a diverse team helped the "design go outside of the box."

Impact Services Corporation, a social services agency that offers job training and supportive housing, has been headquartered in a former carpet mill in Kensington since the late ‘70’s. Last year, Impact Services approached the Community Design Collaborative for advice on how to refresh the exterior of its two “vintage” factory buildings and make them stand out along busy Allegheny Avenue.

The Collaborative redefined the project scope to address several overarching issues: how to reorganize the facility to function more effectively, how best could it introduce a new element to the site—affordable rental housing for some of Philadelphia’s neediest families reunited after homelessness, and how to add green space without sacrificing off-street parking.

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People call it “the Miracle on Seventh Street.” Between a brownstone church, a superblock apartment house, and a scattering of rowhomes, two North Philadelphia pastors built a 56-unit  green-roofed, 55,000 square-foot “cyber village” that offers low and moderate-income seniors an affordable and engaging place to live.

Rev. Martha Lang and Rev Mary Lou Moore, pastors of Mt. Tabor AME Church and leaders of Mt. Tabor Community Education and Economic Development Corporation, were the driving force behind the creation of the Cyber Village.

Rev. Mary Lou Moore, PhD, and Rev. Martha Lang

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Who could have predicted that in the midst of a recession year, the Collaborative would be recognized at more nonprofit ground-breaking ceremonies than ever before?

Celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of our volunteers, nonprofits and civic associations who have dedicated their time to strengthening neighborhoods through design:

You understand the value of the Community Design Collaborative’s work in Philadelphia neighborhoods.  Here’s a simple way you can impact both. Make a donation before October 13th and you will help save paper and postage!

The Collaborative thanks you!

A conceptual masterplan for revitalizing Seger Park.

The Collaborative has started work on its next round of service grants awarded to Friends of Seger Park Playground, Libertae, Mariposa Food Co-op/A Little Taste of Everything and Philadelphia Rooftop Farm(PROOF)/New Society Educational Foundation.  Our nonprofit clients have a range of design needs and serve their communities in diverse ways, from providing social services to supplying nutritious food. Read Full Story

Last Friday was the culmination of a home-building project that has taken five years. Three families from West Philadelphia receive the keys to their new LEED-certified houses, built by Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia. The Wright, Wanamaker and Seawright families each dedicated 350 hours of sweat equity to building their homes.

These homes are part of a seven-unit affordable housing development designed to have low energy costs. In 2005 The firm of WRT and the Energy Coordinating Agency donated pro bono design services worth over $21,000 to perform a feasibility study for the project and develop a sustainable design that would be consistent with the fabric of the surrounding neighborhood. The Collaborative is proud to have contributed to the design of this groundbreaking project.

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The June 2009 issue of grid features Jerome Shabazz

Check out the latest issue of grid magazine for a feature story on the Overbrook Environmental Education Center, a 2005 Community Design Collaborative project. The  Collaborative’s early design assistance helped founder Jerome Shabazz plan and fund eco-friendly improvements to turn this former granite quarry into an urban environmental learning center.

Also, Collaborative volunteer Allison Kelsey shares her recipe for Smashed Potatoes and Broccoli in the In Season section.

grid can be found in the AIA Bookstore.