How Philly Residents Are Making Their Public Spaces Better

When a park in Philly’s Kensington neighborhood wasn’t up to par, residents did something about it. They organized a group of volunteers to form a Park Friends group and advocate for their parks. The Kensington contingent is one of the over 140 Park Friends groups that have been formed since 1993.

“Having some influence over what happened in the playground helped to shape the spaces around it,” says Julius Rivera, a Kensington resident. The park is much cleaner now, with a maintained basketball court and regular programming such as concerts, movie nights, and drumming circles.

Read the full story to learn more about the impact of Park Friends groups and how you can start one in your own neighborhood.

Deonna Anderson , Next City Editorial Director

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