MVRDV - MVRDV is a finalist to redesign Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway

MVRDV is a finalist to redesign Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway

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The city of Philadelphia has selected a team led by MVRDV as one of three finalists in the competition to redesign one of the city’s most important thoroughfares, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The Parkway – which connects City Hall to the Philadelphia Art Museum, and is home to a variety of important institutions and civic spaces – is currently dominated by cars, and has long been the subject of proposals for improvement. The current design competition aims to transform it into a pedestrian-friendly space, finally realising the promise of the “More Park, Less Way” plan that was launched in 2013.

MVRDV leads a highly experienced and diverse team that combines international expertise with local knowledge into the next phase of the competition, named The Parkway Ideas Workshop. The MVRDV team will approach the ideas workshop as a five-week-long public engagement process, using the public panel outside the Art Museum on June 9 as a springboard to work with stakeholders in the city. The final design will be presented at the Barnes Foundation on the Parkway on July 14.

"MVRDV is honoured to participate in the Ideas Workshop for the Benjamin Franklin Parkway Public Realm, together with an inclusive and experienced team that brings local insight and global perspectives”, say MVRDV founding partners Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs, and Nathalie de Vries. “We look forward to joining the diverse group of citizens, stakeholders and city leaders that have already contributed to the important conversations surrounding the future of the Parkway –  an emblematic site that is not only a living room for the city but also a locus of civic engagement and pride for Philadelphians of all backgrounds.”

“We see a great opportunity in composing the design phase for the Benjamin Franklin Parkway Public Realm as an extensive talk with all Philadelphians – a dialogue that will initiate ideas and solutions that imagine a dynamic and inclusive Parkway for the future”, adds MVRDV’s urban studio director Enno Zuidema.

The MVRDV team includes:

  • Local advising architects: Atkin Olshin Schade Architects
  • Cultural Programming: DVDL
  • Community Engagement: Connect the Dots
  • Lighting: L’Observatoire International
  • Transportation & Mobility: McCormick Taylor
  • Civil Engineering & Storm Water Management: David Mason & Associates
  • Cost Estimating: Envision Consultants, Ltd.
  • Economic Development: Rebel Group
  • MEP & Parking: Urban Engineers

Main image via Flickr user elPadawan used under CC BY-SA 2.0 License.