Funded with a 1998 HOPE VI grant, the new master plan for Martin Luther King Plaza replaces a dense, high-rise public housing community with a mixed program of new neighborhood uses. New housing, in both rental and homeownership configurations, accommodating the needs of singles, families and seniors, together with new community and retail uses, are all part of the new development. Significantly, new housing is equally divided between on-site reconstruction and off-site renovation and infill. Long term sustainability of the reconstructed project will be assured by eliminating blight and creating stability in the broader community.

One key to the on-site master plan is the creation of a new residential square founded in the tradition of neighborhood-making established by William Penn, founder of Philadelphia. This new open space will be a focus for the broader Hawthorne neighborhood and will marry new and renovated housing, retail with residential above, and a host of local institutions, including a new daycare and community center, a local church and an existing elementary school. The architecture of the new units includes a diverse set of types modeled on traditional patterns of Philadelphia neighborhoods.

Services

Architectural Design
Code Analysis
Community Meetings
Comprehensive Planning
Condition Assessment Survey
Construction Phase Services
Design Charrettes
Feasibility/Yield Analysis
Grading Plans
HOPE VI
Master Planning
Neighborhood Planning
Public Hearing
Rezoning
Site Plan Approval
Sustainable Development
Urban Design

AWARDS

Project Data

6 acre site
demolition of 576 high-rise units
128 residential units - on-site
121 residential units - off-site
8,000 sf retail on/off-site
10,000 sf community center
1/2 acre park

Sustainable Design Elements:
architecture modelled after traditional Philadelphia types
residential, retail and local institutional mix of uses
reuses existing infrastructure
reconnects residents to existing neighborhood
provides range of housing options
creates new public outdoor space

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