In Clark Park, SJC will work with the UCD, Friends, and community to plan improvements for this largest and oldest park in University City. SJC has served as consultant to such projects as Penn's Landing and the Schuylkill Valley Metro. The Revitalization Plan is part of the larger Clark Park Renewal Project initiated last year by the UCD and Friends. Their first achievement was an agreement with the City of Philadelphia Department of Recreation to select and hire a private contractor to supplement the City's maintenance of the Park.
Public input is integral to the success of any park and recreation improvement project.
To this end, a series of public neighborhood meetings will be held, beginning with solicitation of neighbors' ideas of desired park enhancements at the first meeting on January 18th. Eddie R. Battle Associates, Inc. of Mt. Airy, will facilitate the sessions, as well as conduct later interviews of key persons. The Park serves a racially and socio-economically diverse population of students and residents as well as University City employees and visitors. Clark Park is used intensively throughout the year for neighborhood and citywide events and activities, including youth soccer and the seasonal farmers market co-produced by the UCD and Farmers Market Trust. Simone Jaffe Collins, Berwyn, is a nationally recognized landscape architecture and planning firm providing services to institutional, corporate, municipal, non-profit, and private clients.