By 2035, help to improve at least 100 existing public spaces that support recreation, refuge, and social interaction.

Public spaces play a pivotal role in strengthening the social fabric of our communities and provide a wealth of benefits for Philadelphians. Among the benefits are opportunities for social connections and free expression, positive impacts on mental and physical health, and destinations for refuge from extreme weather events and civil emergencies.

We prioritize public spaces that are open, free, and accessible to the public. They can include, but are not limited to, parks, parklets, urban gardens and farms, recreation centers, libraries, playgrounds, and community centers. We have long funded the creation and improvement of such spaces in Philadelphia. Recent stakeholder engagement indicates a need to maintain and improve existing public spaces, with particular focus on neighborhoods that have experienced generations of disinvestment. Considerable community feedback directs our focus to the quality and equitable availability of public spaces in the city, rather than on the quantity of such places.

To increase the benefits of great public spaces for all Philadelphians, we are focusing on the improvement of existing public spaces.

In advancing this objective, we recognize that there are many ways that organizations and communities can improve existing public spaces. Possible efforts may include physical improvements as well as initiatives that improve signage, programming and activation, and the advocacy and coalition building that is required to create long-term solutions for caring for public spaces among the people who live near them and use them. We are seeking to support projects and programs that organizations in Philadelphia believe will be most effective in making progress on the objective above.

We measure our progress on this objective by the number of public spaces our grants help to improve.