At last night’s Infill Philadelphia: Industrial Sites Design Challenge Reveal, SMP Architects, DIGSAU, and Charles Loomis Chariss McAfee Architects demonstrated both serious-minded and fun-loving ways to reinvigorate old industrial sites.

Alan Greenberger, Deputy Mayor of Planning and Economic Development, began the evening by observing that the city is “a mosaic of industrial use mixed with residential uses. That’s how Philadelphia was built.” Finding creative ways to repurpose these old industrial sites—many of them empty and underutilized, some of them spectacular—for modern industry is an opportunity for re-knitting Philly’s neighborhoods together.

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Medium site for the design challenge located on Oxford Street in Kensington. Photo by Peter Kubilus.

Philadelphia’s stock of old industrial sites are full of character and connected to neighborhoods which can be assets for attracting the next generation of industries that are vital to the Pennsylvania economy.

On Thursday, May 27 the design teams for the Infill Philadelphia: Industrial Sites Design Challenge will reveal their solutions for remaking three old industrial sites, which seek to honor Philadelphia’s industrial heritage while looking toward opportunities that lie ahead.

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Preliminary design was recognized as a cost-effective, powerful tool for community development at last week’s Reinventing Older Communities, a national conference organized by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. As part of a conversation on the future of the community development industry that culminated the conference, John Bendel, Director of Community Investment at the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh, emphasized the need for strategic investments and the importance of funding predevelopment and feasibility studies. “A small amount of money at the right time goes a long way,”said Bendel.

One of the takeaway messages from Reinventing Older Communities was that a different brand of community development will emerge from the current economic downturn. Shrinking credit, falling house values and increasing foreclosures have made community development more challenging than ever, especially in older, urban communities.   But the policymakers, community development specialists, researchers, and investors presenting at the conference (including Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke) put the spotlight on emerging ideas, strategies, and initiatives for reinventing and rebuilding communities, like green jobs, sustainable development, and new financing models for housing and business development that share wealth more equitably.

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The lanes are filling up fast for the 14th Annual Community Design Collaborative Bowling Ball, so make sure to sign up your team soon and get practicing to perfect your game.

You can test your bowling mettle against teams from over 25 firms and organizations. Prizes go to the best, and worst teams, as well as those who come dressed in the grooviest outfits.

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Throw on your bell bottoms and turn up the disco, it’s time to get groovy on the lanes with the Collaborative as we roll out of the recession 70s style at the 14th Annual Bowling Ball.

Shake off those recession blues with some friendly bowling, raffle prizes, snacks and the ever popular Collaborative pint glasses while supporting the work of the Collaborative to strengthen neighborhoods through design.   Sign up as an organization or join one of the fun teams as an individual.

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Images courtesy of exhibit participants C&G Partners, Cho Benn Holdback+Associates, Inc., Allen + Killcoyne Architects and Lynch/Eisinger/Design.

The Community Design Collaborative has been busy putting together Retooling Industrial Sites, an exhibit that will showcase the work of over 50 design firms in transforming old industrial sites back to productive use.  Leading examples of industrial reuse in Philadelphia and inspiring projects from cities across the country will be on display at the Center for Architecture, 1218 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA from February 5 through March 26.

The exhibit will serve as a forum for the growing interest in industrial sites and urban manufacturing. It will also highlight the important role of design in making industry a new and positive part of urban neighborhoods.  The featured projects pay homage to the industrial past and provide a vision for a new industrial and urban renaissance.

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Macro Sea's David Belt sets the bar for the interim use charrette. Photo by Mark Garvin.

Check out Plan Philly’s post on the Collaborative’s  interim use charrette, Infill Philadelphia: Boldness redefines ‘community center’ .

Thomas J. Walsh writes:  “Planners, designers and architects attending a day-long design charrette last Friday did not need to be told to be creative, and adapt, when it comes to the short-term re-use of vacant, urban industrial sites – of which Philadelphia has more than its share.

They probably didn’t need any nudges in the direction of going green with their approaches, or to be bold.

From an inspiring guest speaker and critic, though, they just might have gotten a new take on an old saw for a valuable take-away lesson: ‘It’s a lot easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission.’

That was the advice of David Belt, president of the New York-based design firm Macro Sea and one of the guys behind Brooklyn’s celebrated dumpster swimming pools.”