Our hope is to champion the original intent of this place – its civic nature and spirit of connectedness – while drawing lessons from past challenges and shortcomings. We aspire to set new standards for place-making; for place-based economic sustainability and ingenuity; for natural systems in cities; for cultural breadth and equity.

Our “Systems Beautiful” strategy adopts a nuanced and site-sensitive approach to reimagining the Benjamin Franklin Parkway public realm. It combines the methodology of, and value in, systems thinking with the physical and conceptual marks made by the City Beautiful Movement. We intend to weigh new and creative explorations with key ingredients from the Parkway’s history, as well as current forms, programs, successes and failures. For the next iteration of this place, our “Systems Beautiful” framework will take a holistic and inclusive look at things, studying the past and present parts to inform the whole future.

All at once, we aspire to create Philadelphia’s most breathtaking line of view, its most remarkable corridor of art, its most inclusive core of activity, and its most balanced connections of place.