It is a wonderful time to be a Philadelphian! There is a palpable excitement about a brighter future and so many people working tirelessly throughout the city towards that end. The Next Great City project harnesses these efforts and presents a framework for advancing our common goal.

However, in order for Philadelphia to truly become the Next Great City, this energy needs to be directed into ALL neighborhoods and reach ALL communities in the city. This is why I felt it was important for East Park Revitalization Alliance (EPRA) to be part of the coalition. For the past 5 years, EPRA has been working within the Strawberry Mansion & Brewerytown communities, bringing neighbors together to implement sustainable environmental improvement projects. Many of our projects coincide with the Next Great City’s suggested action steps and the goal of “providing renewed energy and strength to our neighborhoods and city.”

• By working in partnership with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s TreeVitalize & Tree Tenders programs, we have planted almost 400 trees in the neighborhood. More importantly, we have involved local school children in the plantings and used the opportunity to teach kids about the importance of trees in our environment.

• Our neighborhood is adjacent to East Fairmount Park, an amazing cultural, recreational and environmental resource which includes Smith Memorial Playground, tennis courts, playing fields and miles of hiking trails. While people from all over the city and region use these amenities, many of our children have never even been in the park. We are working with the Fairmount Park Commission on an initiative to bridge the cultural, psychological and physical barriers to park use and to make East Fairmount Park a vibrant part of the community.

• Through the Mayor’s Neighborhood Transformation Initiative, EPRA’s vacant landscape crew cleans & greens over 13 acres of vacant land throughout the neighborhood. This has the effect of both reducing blight and providing clean and safe recreation space for kids.

By joining the Next Great City coalition, we hope to add our neighborhood’s voice to the discussion about Philadelphia’s future. Our goal is to make Strawberry Mansion one of the Next Great Neighborhoods on the way to Philadelphia becoming the Next Great City!

Tatiana Garcia-Granados

Executive Director

East Park Revitalization Alliance

(215) 235-6001

www.epralliance.org