Philadelphia Commerce Department Announces Pedestrian Plaza Program

The City of Philadelphia is pleased to announce its Pedestrian Plaza Program.  Pedestrian Plazas provide the public the chance to sit and enjoy the city’s vibrant street life. This program will make our streets safer for pedestrians and drivers alike by converting underutilized street segments into public space. Working with the community the City will paint over these underutilized segments and allow the community to install benches, tables, chairs, bike parking and some limited landscaping turning them into Pedestrian Plazas. Such spaces will be designed both to meet the City’s safety guide lines and to provide a pleasing addition to the urban environment. Applicants who wish to propose a pedestrian plazas should be prepared to identify a space, produce a concept for the space, including potential furnishing elements and likely uses, collect written support from local stakeholders, and be prepared to provide maintenance of the space after construction according to the requirements stated in this application.

Full text of the RFP can be found here.