Susan Weiler on Philly’s Public Spaces
Partner Susan Weiler conducts a tour at the opening of the Rodin Museum in July 2011
“People today are talking about landscapes, and they are more interested in the public realm because they are in it. Philadelphia is a more exterior city and here people are more attuned to the natural environment—the way the city is situated between two rivers,” said OLIN Partner Susan Weiler in an article published by The Cultural Landscape Foundation about the array of open spaces in Philadelphia. She adds, “Fairmount Park is the watershed, and the city fathers were visionary in protecting this. Philadelphians want to enjoy the difference between inside and outside, and they want the transition to be right, too—all the way from the Delaware River to the Art Museum—the extraordinary improvements have been great.”
The article details the rich history and significance of city planning and landscape architecture connected to Philadelphia. The author describes this heritage through the historic five squares that were the framework of William Penn’s 1683 plan of the city and Dan Kiley’s mid-20th century design for Independence Mall, which connected Franklin Square to the north and Washington Square to the south with the central focal point being Independence National Historical Park.
Also recognized in the article are the recently added public spaces that continue Philadelphia’s legacy of horticulture and streetscapes, further enhancing the richness of the city’s pedestrian experience. Two of the spaces identified include Logan Circle, revitalized by OLIN in 2007, and the recently rejuvenated garden surrounding the Rodin Museum, which reopened in the spring of 2011. Susan Weiler is the visionary and creative leader behind both of these public oases.
Read the entire article published by The Cultural Landscape Foundation, City Shaping III: The Philadelphia Story.
