After decades of policies and designs that tended to prioritize drivers, UCD designs, installs and maintains streetscape improvements that make the environment appealing to pedestrians, transit-users, bikers, and drivers. From seating experiments that encourage social interactions to landscaping projects that break up stretches of concrete with vibrant plants, UCD is helping create a more vibrant neighborhood.  

Streetscape Improvements

Innovative Seating

Innovative Seating

In addition to our Parklets, we've designed and installed smaller seating options throughout the neighborhood that encourage gathering and interaction. Our bus seats – located at 36th & Lancaster Ave, 42nd & Woodland Ave., and 47th & Baltimore Ave. - offer a place for commuters to rest while waiting for public transportation, and are adorned with messages detailing the travel time to central locations in Philadelphia as well as signage identifying the stop's location. Our tree seats, which are scattered throughout the community, provide resting spaces for pedestrians on the go, giving people a sense of protection from the busy street and hot sun, all without hurting the tree.

Working with Interface Studio Architects (ISA), UCD created Looped In, a novel approach to enlivening public space and encouraging social gathering. The structure consists of three distinct, portable “looped” pieces, with a custom steel frame designed for reclining, upright seating or somewhere in between. Looped In has moved through several University City locations, and is currently at Woodland Green, 42nd & Woodland Ave.

 

 

Market Street Bridge

Market Street Bridge

In 2015, UCD, Center City District (CCD), and the Schuylkill River Development Corporation (SRDC) partnered to refresh the Market Street Bridge, one of the key gateways between University City and Center City. The temporary improvements, which included planters and bleachers for sitting and relaxing, enhanced the pedestrian experience and provide a welcoming connection between the eastern edge of University City, Center City, and the banks of the Schuylkill River. In 2020, the installation was removed after reaching the end of its useful life.

Schuylkill Gardens

Schuylkill Gardens

Schuylkill Gardens was a 500 foot garden along Schuylkill Avenue between Market and Chestnut Streets installed to improve the aesthetic experience for commuters on foot, bike, or in their cars along the heavily trafficked stretch of road. This striking display – installed in the spring of 2017 – straddled the line between landscape architecture and art installation, while signage provides interesting information about the neighborhood. In 2018, the garden was moved to 30th Street due to bridge construction, where they remain. Our Green City Works landscape crew helped install the gardens and maintains the foliage. The installation was made possible in part thanks to funding by the William Penn Foundation.

Click here for information about hanging banners in University City.