Kristen Ford, one of two 2006 Dangermond Fellows, has completed her research project,
Re-Imagining the Land: Planning for Brownscape Redevelopment in the Delaware
River Corridor.
Ms. Ford summarizes her research as follows: "In Philadelphia,
like many other industrial cities, a concentration of brownfields can be found along
urban river corridors, where industry was historically sited. This project explores how
the corridor system can be used as the basis for redevelopment of the Central Delaware
Waterfront, a prominent Philadelphia brownscape. Beyond offering strategies for the
redevelopment of this waterfront, this project offers a model for how to plan for
brownfields redevelopment, emphasizing the corridor system over the short-term
use of sites."
Her project overview further notes, "An investigation of
brownfields policy reveals that urban areas with a concentration of former industrial
activity are not adequately served under the current policy framework. These areas of
brownfields concentration are often located along river and rail corridors. In these
"brownscapes', a more appropriate way to approach redevelopment may be to look to the
ecological processes and human use patterns associated with corridors to guide
redevelopment activities. This study explores how corridor-based planning can be
applied to the redevelopment of one brownscape, the Central Delaware Waterfront in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A thorough analysis of the corridor using Geographic
Information Systems (GIS) identifies realms for the application of these principles
and zones where these interventions will occur. The associated design interventions
serve as prototypes for how the ecological processes and human use patterns of the
corridor can be strengthened."
Please see the "Research Overview" and the "Analysis Overview"
at right for more information.
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