Schuylkill Banks is the tidal segment of the Schuylkill River south of the Fairmount Dam in Philadelphia. This stretch of river was historically an outdoor retreat for urban dwellers, but the industrial revolution left it contaminated and disconnected from neighboring communities. Poor access to this river in the heart of Philadelphia was caused as much by pollution and stigma as by limited physical access points and the overgrown state of the Banks.

In the late 1990’s, the City of Philadelphia with Fairmount Park and the Schuylkill River Development Corporation (SRDC) started work on a new vision for Schuylkill Banks – an 8 mile landscaped trail and greenway that would reconnect Philadelphians with their river. The first stretch of this greenway, from Locust Street to Martin Luther King Boulevard, has been reclaimed, rebuilt, and rejuvenated. The greenway was carefully planned to optimize land use for urban recreation and transportation while remediating the effects of city pollution and establishing a habitat for diverse wildlife. Fairmount Park and SRDC also keep the park well maintained, removing trash and graffiti and carefully tending to landscaping to ensure that the Banks is a safe and enjoyable location for people and that it makes a positive impact on the environment.

The City of Philadelphia, Fairmount Park and SRDC are dedicated to revitalizing neighboring communities through free and low-cost events held on the Banks, and to educating trail users about the history and ecology of the tidal Schuylkill River through interpretive signs. Thanks to the conscientious efforts of these organizations, the east bank of the Schuylkill River between Locust Street and Martin Luther King Boulevard is once again a popular retreat for Philadelphians and has become the cornerstone of future development on Schuylkill Banks.

From the decline of the industrial revolution to the end of the 20th century, the east bank of the Schuylkill River south of Martin Luther King Boulevard (formerly West River Drive) was abandoned and disconnected from the urban fabric of Philadelphia. Few people visited the site, so it became a haven for illegal activity. As late as the 1990’s few Philadelphians believed that this stretch of river could be reclaimed for positive use. However, the City of Philadelphia, Fairmount Park Commission and Schuylkill River Development Corporation had the revolutionary idea to transform this forlorn bank into a riverfront destination in the heart of Philadelphia, one of the first industrial riverfront reclamation projects in the city.

In 1998, the City completed bulkhead reconstruction along this segment of the river. The City then worked with SRDC and Fairmount Park to transform the space into a lush park with an accessible recreation trail. Now Schuylkill Banks is a unique location where people of all age, race, gender, and economic standing are able to enjoy the great outdoors in the heart of the city. The ADA accessible greenway is free and open to the public every day. SRDC and the City of Philadelphia also use Schuylkill Banks as a venue to provide free and low-cost programming, such as movie nights, pet fests, fishing fests and river tours, to hundreds of Philadelphians throughout the summer and fall.

A dedicated group of volunteers are on site during these events and on most summer and fall weekends to set up the venue and answer trail user questions. These volunteers report a deep connection to the river and greenway, and the desire to help others learn about and enjoy the space.

In addition to bringing people together, Schuylkill Banks is a catalyst for inner-city environmental protection. It provides a safe pedestrian and bike route connecting the 30th Street transportation hub to Center City Philadelphia, encouraging alternative transportation and reducing vehicular congestion in the area. The greenway also provides a natural habitat for urban wildlife, including numerous species of birds and small mammals. The landscaping along the trail converts some of the city’s air pollution into oxygen and absorbs much of the runoff from neighboring streets, protecting the water quality in the tidal Schuylkill.

The Schuylkill Banks trail between Locust Street and Martin Luther King Boulevard involves partnerships between the City of Philadelphia, Fairmount Park, Schuylkill River Development Corporation, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and numerous other local, regional, and national partners in both public and private sectors. The community was able to shape the design of the greenway through neighborhood meetings held during the design process. The City of Philadelphia and Schuylkill River Development Corporation plan to build on the success of the completed portion of the Schuylkill Banks trail and greenway by reclaiming more formerly industrial land along the Schuylkill and extending the trail seven miles to the south, linking the trail to historic Bartram’s Garden and Fort Mifflin.

Before the bulkhead construction in the late 1990’s, the east bank of the Schuylkill River from Locust Street to Martin Luther King Boulevard was almost completely abandoned. However, after the reclamation and construction of the Schuylkill Banks trail and increased landscaping and programming efforts on the greenway, usership has consistently grown to more than 16,000 trips per week in 2008. Students and business people find walking and bike riding on the trail a peaceful alternative to commuting on busy city streets. Most weekends anglers take advantage of riverside benches to relax and reel in their catches while local kayakers revel in river access at the Walnut Street dock. Families picnic in the grass while runners and bicyclists take advantage of the Center City Schuylkill River Trail connections to Kelly Drive and beyond.

In addition to this commuter and recreational usage, in the past three years 4,500 people have come to the Banks for riverboat tours, 1,100 for guided kayak tours, 2,800 for movie nights, and more than 3,000 for other festivals and special events. Over the same period, 30 volunteers have put in more than 3,000 hours of their time to ensure that the events ran smoothly and that weekend trail users were able to relax with a bottle of water and get information about the greenway.

Another marker of the success of Schuylkill Banks is its year-round maintenance program. Two part time maintenance staff members work 750 hours annually to keep the trail and greenway free of graffiti and trash. SRDC has a policy of removing graffiti from the trail within 24 to 48 hours from the time of discovery. This amounts to 20 tags removed by powerwasher or covered with paint each week. Schuylkill Banks trail users are conscientious of keeping the greenway clean by putting their trash and recyclables in the appropriate receptacles, but a significant amount of trash still blows down onto the trail from neighboring streets and bridges. This trash, along with approximately 5,000 cigarette butts each year is picked up, bagged and placed alongside trash cans on the trail by SRDC maintenance staff. On the average week, the City collects 100 gallons of recyclable materials and 1,100 gallons of bagged trash from Schuylkill Banks. This continuous maintenance effort is a symbol of the City of Philadelphia, Fairmount Park, and SRDC’s commitment to the environment and to local residents.

In less than a decade, Schuylkill Banks has become a landmark for neighboring communities, a gathering place for educational and religious groups, and a mecca for local cyclists and runners. This socially and environmentally conscious riverfront amenity has improved quality of life for Philadelphians who were always in close proximity to the river, but could never fully enjoy its serene beauty. Perhaps the best indication of the positive impact of the existing Schuylkill Banks trail and greenway is the thousands of Philadelphians who cannot imagine what they would do without being able to run, walk, fish, kayak, and relax along the river on the Banks.