Community conversation marks first of many to inform citywide 25-year plan

The Kensington community came together for a neighborhood visioning kickoff event Thursday. It was part of a larger effort from nonprofit Klean Kensington and the City of Philadelphia to gather resident input on a new “comprehensive plan” for the city.

Klean Kensington is one of eight community partners citywide selected for the Department of Planning and Development’s “Philadelphia 2050: Planning Together” initiative.

The city placed an emphasis on organizations that aid low-income communities, youth, seniors, people experiencing housing insecurity, people with disabilities and other underserved groups. 

Over the next nine to 18 months, Klean Kensington and other groups will hold community events to gather public input on housing, employment, parks, historic landmarks and other infrastructure and provide it to City Hall. Selected organizations will receive funding, training, event support, and the opportunity to guide implementation of the 25-year plan. 

On the fourth floor of Esperanza’s CORE building Thursday, Klean Kensington founder and director Jeremy Chen told a room of about 100 people that their ideas would influence future city decisions. 

"In Kensington, meetings often get stuck on complaints, which can leave people discouraged.” Chen said. “Tonight is different. We’re celebrating, sharing stories, and focusing on solutions and dreaming together."

There were a mix of adults, children and seniors, and most of the space’s large round tables were full. Most participants heard about the event through word-of-mouth, including from Esperanza CORE staff.

The event was primarily staffed by youth, hired by Klean Kensington to cater food and lead discussions. Residents could take advantage of free childcare for the night, provided by teens certified in babysitting through Fab Youth Philly and hired by Klean Kensington.

Throughout the night, teens rotated from table to table to facilitate discussions among attendees about favorite neighborhood places, commonly used resources and hopes for the future. 

Residents marked favorite spots on small maps, then placed stickers on a big community map to see overlaps. Tables did an ‘Active Hearing exercise,’ with one member sharing the group’s stories about living in Kensington. The idea was to brainstorm solutions and focus on assets.

“This is almost like a dream, that the community is being more engaged to do the big thing,” said Emerald Martez, one of Klean Kensington’s project leads for Philadelphia 2050.

Attendees answered questions about where they go for help in Kensington or where they feel a sense of belonging, citing clinics such as the Esperanza Health Center or faith-based organizations such as Sarnelli House.

At the end of the event, participants were asked to fill out a “vision card” with their dreams for the neighborhood. They wrote things like:

“more parks for kids and more police presence to protect those parks” 

“a senior program with transportation for older residents"

“more open public events so neighbors could come together more often"

Martez is hoping to also collect feedback on smaller and more immediate changes in the neighborhood.

“Rather than relying on the city, something actionable that we can do, ourselves, with the budget in mind,” she said. “approve the idea, and do it together.”

Both Martez and Chen expressed that past political attention on Kensington historically hasn’t felt empowering for community members.  They also say they want to create an alternative to civic group meetings, which Chen said don't always lead to cooperative brainstorming.

Conversations like this one will continue throughout the winter and spring. Find more information on Klean Kensington’s Instagram.

Have any questions, comments, or concerns about this story? Send an email to editors@kensingtonvoice.com. Or call/text the editors desk line at ‪(215) 385-3115‬.