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Five Minutes with a Finalist: Fairfield Inn & Suites - The Wankawala Organization
Mihir Wankawala, Managing Director of The Wankawala Organization, joins us for this week’s “Five Minutes with a Finalist”.
Event Recap: “FDR Park Master Plan: Breathing New Life into an Urban Oasis”
May 23, 2019
ULI Philadelphia’s Small Scale & Impact Development Product Council held a walking tour “FDR Park Master Plan: Breathing New Life into an Urban Oasis” on Wednesday, May 8th, 2019 around Meadow Lake, often referred to locally as The Lakes. The master planning process included extensive community engagement and sought to create a blueprint for the park’s future while finding the highest and best use for park assets.
Speakers included:
- Charles Neer, Landscape Architect, WRT
- Allison Schapker, Director of Capital Projects, Fairmount Park Conservancy
Groups took turns exploring park history and current conditions on foot with Allison Schapker and learning about the engagement and planning process inside FDR Park’s historic boathouse with Charles Neer.
On foot, Allison pointed to some of the Olmsted Brothers’ original design features including vast fields for passive recreation subtly separated for specific activities. The park was used in the 1926 Sesquicentennial Exposition, and much of the infrastructure has not been updated since, creating many of the present-day challenges the master plan seeks to address. Despite a lack of well-maintained amenities and dated infrastructure, the historic structures and vast amount of open space in an otherwise densely populated urban neighborhood, are some of the park’s most promising assets.
Meanwhile, inside the historic boathouse, Charles detailed the extensive community engagement process that informed the recommendations in the master plan. Among the most requested improvements? Restrooms and general maintenance in addition to better trails, food options, picnic areas and nature areas. Ultimately, the plan provides for a network of environmental, social and economic benefits that can position FDR Park as a model for the city and the region.
ULI Philadelphia would like to thank our sponsors, speakers and all of the members and volunteers who made this event possible. For more information on how to get involved with ULI, including joining the Small Scale & Impact Development Product Council, click here.