The Power of the Commons

Connecting with Nature and One Another

Ideas for bringing people together in a nature-rich public realm

Yoga at Bartram’s Garden in Philadelphia. Image courtesy Bartram’s Garden.

This article is the fourth in a series highlighting the impacts featured in The Power of the Commons, our report on the inspirational outcomes of the initiative’s first six years.

A nature-rich public realm is associated with a wide range of benefits, from improved health outcomes to climate resilience to reductions in violent crime. Those upsides can be amplified when investments in the public realm, such as programming and physical infrastructure, are designed to bring people together to socialize in nature, allowing people to experience the positive impacts of a natural setting together with the benefits of spending time with strangers.

Today, we showcase investments taking place in Philadelphia and Memphis, two cities that are creating public spaces that support connection with nature and bring people together outdoors.

“It’s theirs, wherever they live. People see the downtown parks as their parks, and they feel that agency and they feel that ownership, and it’s pretty special.”
— Penelope Huston, Downtown Memphis Commission

Penelope Huston of Downtown Memphis Commission, one of the many partners in Memphis contributing to a thriving downtown through active public spaces. Image credit: Lakethan Mason and courtesy Memphis River Parks Partnership.

Creating local connections — to nature, food and people — in Philadelphia

In Philadelphia, two parks are being transformed in ways that enhance their natural elements, nurture local food systems and draw more people, especially neighbors, to visit.

Kayakers paddle off the banks of the Schuykill River, launching from the dock at Bartram’s Garden. Image courtesy Bartram’s Garden.

At Bartram’s Garden in Southwest Philadelphia, the focus on programming for the local community has increased use of the garden, helped promote production of local food and supported food sovereignty. The garden is located on the banks of the Schuylkill River, but only recently could visitors use the garden as a gateway to interact with the water. Today, the garden is home to a dock and community boathouse where visitors can borrow a boat or go fishing for free. People can also borrow fishing rods and buy bait from a vending machine right on site.

Through its home gardening program, the garden supports home-based food programs for local residents while fostering new community connections. In 2021, the Bartram’s team installed raised beds at 60 homes in Southwest Philadelphia. Sometimes, while the team was installing a new raised bed, a neighbor noticed, stopped by to find out what was happening and signed up for a raised bed at their house. In this way, residents who did not know about the program gained access to it while also building connections with Bartram’s Garden and their neighbors.

“When it comes to food sovereignty, you want to be able to connect with neighbors and look out for each other, sharing different crops and different vegetables, and just creating relationships and connections that last forever.”
— Hajjah Glover, Glover Gardens and Bartram’s Garden

Hajjah Glover was instrumental in developing home gardening opportunities through Bartram’s Garden’s raised bed installation program. Image courtesy Bartram’s Garden and image credit: Albert Yee.

In another part of the city, the East Parkside neighborhood sits adjacent to a major park, Fairmount Park, but felt disconnected from it. Recent investments have enhanced the connection while increasing access to nature for local residents.

Parkside Edge opened in 2018 after a $5.4 million renovation in which Fairmount Park Conservancy collaborated with Philadelphia’s Parks & Recreation, Water, Commerce and Streets departments to install inviting natural elements such as rain gardens and trees in the park. In addition, infrastructure such as walking paths, lighting and seating made Parkside Edge feel inviting and safe. Following this investment, the Conservancy, in partnership with the City of Philadelphia, completed pedestrian improvements in East Parkside to slow traffic and create safer connections from the neighborhood to the park.

The East Parkside community hosts annually the West Park Arts Fest and the Fresh Food Fest. Parkside Edge is the latest in pedestrian improvements between the neighborhood and Fairmount Park. Image credit: Albert Yee.

Centennial Parkside CDC, the neighborhood community development organization, developed a Clean and Green team trained in park and rain garden maintenance to care for the park’s edge along with their work sweeping sidewalks, pulling weeds and maintaining vacant lots. Programs also help make the park a go-to place in the neighborhood. The park now hosts popular events like the Fresh Food Fest and the West Park Arts Fest, as well as monthly community movie nights, with Parkside Edge acting as a physical invitation to neighborhood residents to participate.

A riverfront revival in Memphis

In Memphis, the city’s civic commons sites along the Mississippi River are now all connected by the River Line, a 5-mile walking and biking trail that also connects to riverfront parks beyond downtown. The single, connected trail and its new entry points and wayfinding in adjacent neighborhoods have spurred a significant increase in activity up and down the riverfront. The number of people crossing the Big River Crossing (a mile-long pedestrian and bike bridge over the Mississippi) increased by about 20% following completion of the trail. The trail also provided a safe outdoor space to exercise and socialize during the COVID-19 pandemic, when people needed connection to nature and one another more than ever.

The newly opened Tom Lee Park has spaces to bike and grab a bite to eat between riding. Image courtesy Memphis River Parks Partnership.

Tom Lee Park is one of the public spaces along River Line, and the 30-acre public space reopened in 2023 after a major reimagining by internationally renowned design firms Studio Gang and SCAPE. Previously a barren patch of grass with a few scraggly trees, the park now features thoughtful spaces designed to draw people together and connect the city to the river and its local ecology. Highlights include a habitat terrace with a pollinator lab, native plantings and a sound garden; an architectural pavilion that provides shade for basketball courts and alluring events; a children’s playground inspired by life on the river; and a forested area for quiet socializing and reflection. Meandering paths meant to reflect the river’s flow seamlessly connect the park’s unique and diverse spaces.

In September, Memphians gathered to celebrate the opening of Tom Lee Park and to take part in free, fun activities from face painting to volleyball to hip hop yoga. Programming and events will continue to activate the space and draw people together to enjoy the river, the park and one another.

“It’s very lively. The park is really pretty. I’m glad that Memphis has done something like this — bringing the community together.”
— Jada Millen, Memphis resident, ABC 24 News

Walking paths weave through lush greenery and stone steps provide places to sit amidst the rolling topography of the park. Image courtesy Memphis River Parks Partnership.

Reimagining the Civic Commons is a collaboration of The JPB Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, William Penn Foundation, and local partners.