Design Profile: Northern Liberties Streetscape Vision Plan

KieranTimberlake and PORT were hired by the Northern Liberties Business Improvement District (NLBID) to engage in a Streetscape Vision Plan, which comprehensively guides the district's growth over the next decade. The Plan guides NLBID leadership, cultivates established and new residences and businesses, and ultimately increases neighborhood pride through a clear, collaborative process that embraces shared ownership of the vision for the area. Focusing on the North 2nd Street corridor between Callowhill Street and Girard Avenue, the plan provides scenarios for phasing and identifies opportunities for signature projects such as the Market Green and Laurel Triangle Parklet, which are linked by a common language along typical blocks.  

MARKET GREEN: The Vision Plan centers around the transformation of the portion of 2nd Street between Poplar Street and Fairmount Avenue into an urban park called the “Market Green.” The concept creates a recognizable, legible center for the neighborhood and adds considerable vegetated, open space to the area, achieving almost two acres of new public surface and adding 100 new trees, 425 linear feet of benches, 3,300 square feet of planting, and 4,300 square feet of canopy structure. At Market Green, the significantly expanded public realm is divided into zones for retail, pedestrian circulation, and furnishing.  

LAUREL TRIANGLE PARKLET: The existing space at the intersection of Laurel, N. 2nd and Hancock is transformed into a triangular parklet, providing valuable and flexible community and gathering spaces while addressing issues of oversized, ill-defined vehicular zones and stormwater management.  

GATEWAYS: It is an important part of the Streetscape Vision Plan to better define entry points into the Northern Liberties neighborhood along the 2nd Street corridor. Two gateways, one at the intersection of 2nd and Spring Garden and the other at 2nd and Germantown Avenue, create a sense of arrival, orientation, and cohesiveness while also increasing pedestrian and bicycle safety. ■ 

Project: Northern Liberties Streetscape Vision Plan  

Location: Philadelphia, PA  

Client: Northern Liberties Business Improvement District 

Project Size: 9/10 mile  
Project Team:  
KieranTimberlake (Architect)  
PORT (Landscape Architect) 

Photos and Diagrams: KieranTimberlake/PORT