Feet First Philly Funds 10 Public Space Enhancement Projects to Improve Walkability

[March 19, 2025 Philadelphia, PA] – Today, Clean Air Council and Feet First Philly, in partnership with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, announced the recipients of the fifth Public Space Enhancement Mini-Grant awards. These projects seek to improve walkability in 10 different neighborhoods in the Greater Philadelphia area.

More than 70 community-based organizations, businesses, and individuals submitted applications to this program, all with worthy project ideas to support walkability. A committee made up of past recipients, pedestrian advocates, professionals in public space improvements, and city officials, planners, and designers from multiple departments selected the 10 highest-scoring projects. 

Our Public Space Enhancement Mini-grant program has grown over the past 5 years. During this round, the program received over 70 applications. “These projects help to bring communities together to create safer and healthier spaces,” said Titania Markland, Clean Air Council, Sustainable Transportation Program Manager. “Through the mini-grants, we can give Philadelphians the ability to build their communities in ways that benefit their neighbors.” 

“It is a privilege to fund these community-identified projects to enhance our public space,” said Dr. Kinnari Chandriani, Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention Director at the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. “We are excited to see each of them come to life and make their sidewalks, gardens, lots, and parks healthier, safer, cleaner, greener, and more welcoming.”

The projects selected for funding are:

1. ACHIEVEability – This organization will implement a project called Impact Day 2025. It will mobilize volunteers to engage in revitalization efforts in West Philadelphia. These efforts include porch painting, litter removal, storefront improvements, tree planting, community gardening, and more.
2. Nicetown-Tioga Improvement Team RCO (NTIT) – This group will engage in phase three of the repair and revitalization process for their Healing and Unity Gardens. This project will include workshops on garden maintenance and stormwater management. It will also add raised planter beds to the gardens.
3. Norris Square Tabletop Project – This project will create a regular community gathering for tabletop games at Norris Square Park. This project aims to help residents gather and build community with each other.
4. LA21 – This project is called the Container Village Lighting Enhancement. It will add outdoor lighting to an outdoor retail, recreational, and community hub that was once a vacant and blighted lot in Parkside West Philadelphia.
5. Face to Face – This project is called the Price Street Improvement project. It will improve a portion of the sidewalk by replacing broken sidewalk blocks and removing weeds and other debris.
6. SEAMAAC –  This project is called the Heat Reduction Project on S. 7^th St. Commercial Corridor. The group will install trees along the entry of the commercial corridor and planter boxes to continue the beautification efforts along the corridor.
7. Urban Creators – This project is called the UC Beautification and Safety Project. It aims to enhance the safety, accessibility, and overall experience of their urban farm. These improvements include signage, outdoor lighting, and additional irrigation equipment.
8. Empowered CDC – This group aims to maintain their Cecil Street Garden by adding new planters along the sidewalk and fixing broken sidewalks along the garden.
9. Mantua Civic Association – This is the third phase of their Pollinator and Tulip Planter Tribute Project. This project aims to add planters on Mantua Ave with the mantra “Bulbs Not Bullets” to add beauty to the area along with spreading an anti-violence message.
10. Little Memorial Temple Church – This is another sidewalk repair project that aims to replace broken sidewalks on West Norris Street to improve safety.

Quotes from funding recipients:

“With the assistance of the Clean Air Council and the Feet First Philly Program, SEAMAAC aims to tackle the issues of heat and violence on the S. 7^th St. Commercial Corridor. We plan to use the mini-grant funding to install 2 trees and 10 planters along the corridor” said Dominic Brennan, SEAMAAC’s Community Building Coordinator. “This, in addition to the 18 planters we have previously installed, will have both short- and long-term benefits for the neighborhood. This project will both beautify the corridor and help with stormwater management. It will also add much-needed shade to the corridor, which has been proven to reduce violence, and traffic injuries, and increase foot traffic to local businesses.” 

“Face to Face is thrilled to be a recipient of a Feet First Philly grant through the Clean Air Council,” said Craig Heim, Face to Face. “As a community center providing daily meals and social services in Germantown for over forty years, we work to be a resource and respite for those in need. Support from Feet First Philly allows us to make much-needed sidewalk repairs at our Price Street building in East Germantown. This project will serve pedestrians and neighbors by providing safer walking surfaces and steps along with the installation of new public-facing planters, with brightly colored 3-season flower displays that send the message of beauty and hope. We are grateful to the Council for this partnership and invite members of the public to visit us at Face to Face.” 

“I’m excited to bring tabletop games like chess and dominoes to the local park, creating a space for more connections and outdoor fun,” said Giovannie Vilomar, Norris Square Tabletop Project. “Thanks to the Norris Square Neighborhood Project, Kensington Library, and the local Senior Community Center for their support. Lastly, I’m grateful to the Citizens Planning Institute for empowering me to help shape the neighborhood and to the park’s friends for their dedication to its care and improvement.” 

“The Healing Garden (est. 2007) and The Unity Garden (est. 2013) are the only public green spaces in our neighborhood,” said GVGK Tang, Nicetown-Tioga Improvement Team RCO (NTIT). “They help keep residents of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds safe. This grant supports the revitalization of these Gardens as the sites of walkability, wheelability, and respite they were always meant to be. Restoring these sacred places of rest and gathering allows us to reclaim and maintain communal space; care for the environment and promote sustainable practices; and foster spiritual, mental, and physical well-being. Our free, family-friendly programming allows neighbors to connect with one another and work towards a shared goal of neighborhood renewal.”