March 1999 Plans
The information
gathered by the Design Team led to the development of two plans. The Existing
Conditions Plan (Appendix 9.3), depicted site conditions as of March 1999 including
street trees, lights, overhead wires, parking lots, buildings, and open/green space.
The Site Analysis Plan (Appendix 9.4), was the first step of the Design Team's
process of assessing the existing conditions and formulating opinions about the site.
Using the Existing Conditions Plan as a foundation to build upon, the Design Team
studied the site and formed impressions. These observations coupled with information
received from neighbors, committee members, and key stakeholders during site visits,
meetings, and through the cognitive mapping exercise was the basis of the Site Analysis
Plan.
The site analysis process led to the identification of
areas within Powelton Village where there is a confluence of users and activity.
The users may be residents shopping, attending church or working in the community
garden, or commuters passing through each morning as they drive in from the suburbs
south on 34th. They may also be Drexel students walking down 33rd
Street to get to classroom buildings on Drexel's campus, schoolchildren walking along
Powelton Avenue, or trolley riders from more western communities looking out windows
on to Lancaster Avenue.
The interaction and overlap of constituents and uses within
the borders of Powelton Village indicates that, in addition to being primarily a
stable residential neighborhood, Powelton has become an important transition zone
between the city and the suburbs, much as the Centennial Bank once served as the
gateway between the country and city. Therefore, the Design Team feels it is important
to acknowledge Powelton's edges to let visitors know where they are. The Site Analysis
Plan was a first pass at identifying key gateways and activity nodes that appeared
to be logical choices for physical improvement through the Powelton*Drexel Community
Greening and Action Plan.
The synthesis
of the information gathered and the development of
plans that convey this information in a clear and concise manner was the final phase
of the design process for Activity One. The purpose of these plans was to depict
the existing site conditions and through analysis of these conditions, identify potential
areas for greening.