To achieve impact at Hart Park, a dedicated development team embarked on a collaborative journey with the Philadelphia’s Parks and Recreation department, City Council – District 5, the Friends of Hart Park community group, South Kensington Community Partners, and Hinge Collective (Architects and Landscape Architects), to conceptualize a revitalization plan that would not only make Hart Park feel safer and more inviting but also foster social cohesion among the community members.
Recognizing the significance of community input, the project emphasizes an intentional participatory design process where the perspectives of every individual are heard and incorporated into the design. Various engagement opportunities included: meetings with key stakeholders, comprehensive community surveys, public planning meetings, and design reviews. By involving the community in such a holistic manner, the project seeks to ensure that the revitalization efforts resonate with the unique desires of an evolving neighborhood.
Key Stakeholder Meeting #1
On December 14, 2022, Hinge met with key stakeholders, including key engaged residents (as identified by The Firehouse), representatives from Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, and representatives from the Office of Councilman Darrell Clark. The purpose of this meeting was to identify key design constraints and operational considerations.
Individual Stakeholder Follow-up Meetings
Hinge performed follow-up meetings with key stakeholders as needed to determine a full picture of the operational needs and key design considerations.
Neighborhood Stakeholder Meeting #2
On January 25, 2023, Hinge met with key stakeholders, including key engaged residents (as identified by The Firehouse), representatives from Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, and representatives from the Office of Councilman Darrell Clark. The purpose of this meeting was to review feedback, identify key design constraints and operational considerations.
Public Open House #1 | Indoor Block Party
On February 26, 2023, Hinge, in collaboration with The Firehouse hosted a public open house event at the Little Montessori School. This was an opportunity for community stakeholders to share what the park means to them and assist them in dreaming big about how improvements can best support the neighborhood!
Key Stakeholder Meeting #3
On April 11, 2023, Hinge reconvened with the stakeholders to review community input gathered from the Open House, and offered early design options based on user feedback.
Public Open House #2 | Community Celebration & Design Open House
On Saturday, May 13th we hosted an afternoon of fun & games to celebrate Hart Park! Neighbors shared thoughts on park design options for updates to the park, while children enjoyed games, face painting and ice cream! Some neighbors arrived early to join the Friends of Hart Park group park clean-up Love Your Park week.
Key Stakeholder Meeting #4
On June 20, 2023, Hinge facilitated a meeting in the park where key stakeholders and near neighbors are convened to review the comments on the (3) design options and consolidate the elements from each option to determine the final conceptual design direction.
On Thursday, November 9th we held a virtual impromptu design review of the proposed consolidated design for Hart Park. The design was prompted by feedback from the previous (3) conceptual themes.
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