The design teams presented preliminary concepts at a mid review. Photo by Mark Garvin.

How do you repurpose a complicated old manufacturing complex or activate an isolated industrial plot?  Can housing and light industry share the same site?

These types of challenging issues are being addressed by the Infill Philadelphia: Industrial Sites initiative, which recently received national recognition with funding through the Urban Land Institute’s Foundation (ULI) community action grant program.  ULI Foundation is helping support all phases of the initiative which is bringing together designers, policy makers, funders and community organizations to address community revitalization through infill development.   ULI is a global nonprofit research and education organization that represents members across the spectrum of land use and real estate development disciplines. Its mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide.

There are still opportunities to help sponsor this pioneering project and join an impressive group of financial supporters that ranges from the William Penn Foundation to the National Endowment for the Arts to the Counselors of Real Estate Foundation and includes corporate sponsors Macro Sea, TRC Companies, Inc. and Wallace, Roberts and Todd LLC. Get more info on sponsorship.

Volunteer teams from SMP Architects, DIGSAU, and Loomis and McAfee Architects have been busy researching the sites and brainstorming design solutions.  They recently presented their initial concepts at a mid review before a jury of diverse experts that included designers, developers, and policy makers. Be sure to save the date for the unveiling of these exciting designs on Thursday, May 27, 4-6:30 when the teams will provide a public presentation of their final schemes. Register for the event.