UCD Initiates Study of its Eastern Edge

The Porch at 30th Street Station, UCD’s signature public space, is the gateway to University City. Visitors enjoy the Porch for its food trucks, free events, and views of Center City's skyline, and as a pleasant place to sit and relax. But few visitors would regard the first two to three blocks west of the Schuylkill River as a place in which to linger. Whereas the rest of University City is remarkably walkable, with pleasant architecture, street life, and public space, the eastern edge's wide streets, meager public space, and a cityscape designed around the automobile make this area particularly unfriendly to pedestrians.

In an effort to improve the gateway to University City and strengthen this strategic link to Center City, UCD is embarking on a study on public space and public life in its eastern edge. The study area runs roughly from the Schuylkill River to 33rd Street, and from Arch Street down to Walnut Street. UCD’s Planning Intern, Daniel Wolf, has been conducting preliminary surveys of the area, and UCD will be partnering with Gehl Studio, an urban design consulting firm, to conduct the study. Gehl Studio was founded by Jan Gehl, a world-renowned architect and urban designer, who is famous for his emphasis on the pedestrian experience. With Gehl Studio's help, UCD will take a close look at how the area could be improved to become a more inviting place in the future.

Jan Gehl’s approach to making cities vibrant places for people closely aligns with UCD’s strategy for improving The Porch and other public spaces in University City. Instead of focusing exclusively on producing an expensive and idealized design for a public space, Gehl and UCD opt for a cycle of incremental improvements: by studying how places are used, testing different interventions, and then conducting further study on those interventions. So far, the studies for this project have addressed the following questions: Where are there high volumes of pedestrians, and where do people tend to sit? Where is noise from traffic sufficiently loud to make it difficult to have a conversation? How does the design of the built environment impact walkability? After an intensive period of studying this area, Gehl studio will produce a report for UCD detailing recommendations for how the area could be improved, and then UCD will look to continue their work to improve the area. Stay tuned.