GreenPlan Philadelphia - the City's blueprint for sustainable open space - envisions Philadelphia as a vibrant urban place interconnected with grand and intimate green parks and open spaces, which promote healthy living, economic growth and a sustainable natural environment.

In addition to developing new approaches to sustainability through open space in Philadelphia, GreenPlan seeks to integrate existing community and riverfront plans into a comprehensive and long-term approach that conserves and enhances the city's open space and natural areas. The plan also seeks to change the way the City of Philadelphia manages the process of planning, managing and financing open space. It will seek to institutionalize its sustainable approach by integrating the work of multiple city agencies and outside partner organizations into the City's planning and implementation processes. The plan will also recommend an organizational structure for the sustainable management of the city's open space, parks and natural habitats.

The following describes GreenPlan Philadelphia's impact on issues of sustainability:

Environment - GreenPlan Philadelphia will improve the quality of Philadelphia's environment. The urban forest will be increased by planting trees in targeted neighborhoods lacking shade from tree cover. The goal is to increase the City's average shade tree coverage from approximately 15 to 30%. This will help the City reduce energy use, lower pollution and improve air and water quality, reduce flooding, beautify neighborhoods, and increase property values.Water conservation and storm water management will contribute to responsible use of natural resources and help to prevent pollution. Philadelphia's habitats will be inventoried and preserved, from the tidal wetlands to the forests and meadows in Fairmount Park. Finally, air and water pollution will be minimized through work with the water department and other key organizations.

Social Equity/quality of life: GreenPlan Philadelphia will promote public health for all of the City's residents, through improved access to recreation, parks and other outdoor resources, support for bike, hiking and other trails, and better connectivity between these amenities. Central to these efforts is a data-based strategic approach to ensure that residents and neighborhoods without easy access to open-space amenities are targeted with needed park and recreation services and resources. Finally, improved lighting and clear sightline landscape designs will help citizens feel that they can safely travel to and utilize the City's open spaces.

Economic enhancement and feasibility: Quality open space has a demonstrated positive impact on real estate values. It also attracts tourists and outdoor enthusiasts and bolsters the workforce by making the City a competitive location for employers. Implementation of recommendations that reduce energy consumption - such as increased tree cover and green roofs - will provide opportunities for residents, businesses, and the city itself to save money despite increasing energy costs. Managed open space provides the opportunity for revenue generating sustainable enterprises, such as urban agriculture and farm markets. Finally, as a comprehensive plan with clear strategies and priorities, GreenPlan Philadelphia will enhance the City's competitiveness as it seeks grant funds for open space - from local, regional and national public and private sources.

Innovation: The GreenPlan Philadelphia Management and working groups worked with the Plan's lead consultant to craft its 'Sustainability Framework', a central component of the Plan that will guide key initiatives and monitor and document its impact. By measuring, gathering and mapping key data indicators, the City is able conduct a comprehensive needs analysis to determine how to strategically invest in open space. The data will also serve as a baseline against which the City can measure progress and impact.

Another innovation worth noting is an extensive cost-benefit analysis that will enable the City to calculate the return on investment for funds invested in open space. Two distinct sections of the City were used as test cases to measure the financial benefits of the implementation of Plan recommendations.

Finally, the planning process was innovative in its scope of partners involved. Multiple City agencies and other partners with the capacity to plan, operate, manage and implement the plan's recommendations have been involved from the start of the planning process.

Lasting impacts: GreenPlan Philadelphia is a long-term plan with a twenty-year vision and goals; however, it also seeks to immediately change the way City departments implement and manage open space. Broad participation by fourteen City departments in the creation of the Plan assures that sustainability principles and best practices will be incorporated into the work of every related City department on a continued basis. 

Additional sustainability elements: A comprehensive, multi-phased civic engagement process helped to inform GreenPlan Philadelphia and increase awareness of the Plan and its goals and recommendations. GreenPlan Philadelphia will recommend ongoing processes for citizen engagement and education, enrolling residents and civic groups in the effort to create and provide ongoing maintenance and support for community open spaces. Finally, key partners have been engaged in the planning process from its inception. The success of the Plan depends on a coordinated approach involving the work and resources of citizens and community partner organizations.