Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
Jump to a question:
All are welcome to participate in community events and share feedback throughout the planning process. While some structured meeting stipends are limited to Francisville residents within the project boundaries, we recognize that many people contribute to neighborhood life in different ways, including business owners, workers, students, visitors, and community partners.
Community input gathered through meetings, surveys, workshops, events, and informal conversations will directly shape the Community Greening Plan and Implementation Roadmap. Feedback will be documented, synthesized, and shared with planning and design consultants throughout the process to help guide emerging concepts and priorities.
The planning process combines resident input with planning-level support from landscape architects, greening professionals, and artists. Community members will help shape priorities, ideas, and goals, while technical consultants will help translate those ideas into cohesive planning concepts and implementation-ready recommendations.
Yes — this phase of the project is focused on community engagement, planning, and design development. Together with residents, landscape architects, and artists, we will create a Community Greening Plan and Implementation Roadmap shaped by neighborhood priorities and lived experience.
Once the plan is complete, Francisville Garden & Greenspace Collective will work with partners, funders, and the community to pursue future funding and phased implementation opportunities for the ideas developed through this process.
This project focuses on planning, engagement, and conceptual design development. While small temporary greening activations may occur during the planning process, larger physical improvements would require future funding, partnerships, approvals, and phased implementation after the Community Greening Plan is completed. Our goal is to begin that process in Fall 2027, pending funding.
Stipends help recognize community members’ time, lived experience, and participation in structured planning activities. They also help reduce barriers to participation and support more inclusive community engagement.
$25 stipends are available for eligible Francisville residents participating in structured project meetings and workshops (not community social events). Eligible residents must live within the project area boundaries: north of Fairmount Avenue, south of Girard Avenue, east of Corinthian Avenue, and west of Broad Street.
To receive a stipend, participants must:
Provide proof of residency (such as a driver’s license, state ID, or a piece of mail showing your name and address)
Sign in for grant documentation purposes
Attend the full duration of the meeting
Participant names and addresses will be recorded solely for grant compliance and reporting purposes. Stipends will be distributed at the conclusion of each eligible meeting.
Raffle winners will be contacted directly by email and must meet eligibility requirements, including residency within Francisville and submission of valid contact information through the community feedback form.
Winners may also be announced through United Francisville Civic Association (UFCA) email communications using only the winner’s first name and last initial for transparency.
The prize is a $100 gift card to a participating Francisville business. A list of participating businesses and gift card options will be shared once finalized.
All meetings will take place in-person to support relationship-building, collaborative activities, and site-based discussion, there are still multiple ways to participate if you are unable to attend. Residents can:
Complete the online Community Feedback Survey at any time throughout the planning process
Attend community social events
Participate in UFCA Greening Committee meetings, which may offer additional dates and opportunities for involvement throughout the year
We are committed to creating multiple pathways for community input and participation throughout the project.
Yes. Community events and some engagement activities are designed to welcome youth and families. However, meeting stipends are limited to eligible adult participants (18+) for structured planning sessions.
This planning process focuses on a specific group of interconnected public spaces in Francisville in order to keep the project scope realistic, coordinated, and actionable within the grant timeline and budget.
While residents may identify additional spaces that are important to neighborhood life, this project specifically centers:
The new community garden at 1438 Poplar Street
Ogden Park
MLK Park
The Ridge Avenue corridor
Some nearby spaces are already connected to separate planning processes or future capital projects. For example, the Francisville Recreation Center currently has its own planning efforts underway. Residents interested in learning more about Rec Center-related projects are encouraged to contact the United Francisville Civic Association (UFCA).
Community feedback about other neighborhood spaces may still be documented throughout the process to help inform future opportunities and long-term neighborhood planning efforts.
Public spaces reflect more than physical infrastructure; they also reflect neighborhood history, identity, memory, and culture. Cultural mapping and creative engagement activities help document community stories and values so they can inform future greening and placemaking strategies.
The planning process also explores how public art can be integrated into neighborhood green spaces in ways that reflect Francisville’s history, culture, and community voice.
We welcome interest from local professionals, artists, facilitators, organizers, photographers, designers, and others who may be interested in supporting the project.
Please email with information about your background, experience, and area of interest.
This project is made possible by the Community Greening Plans grant, awarded to the Francisville Garden & Greenspace Collective by the William Penn Foundation.
Project updates, meeting announcements, engagement opportunities, draft concepts, and community presentations will be shared through this website, events, and the United Francisville Civic Association (UFCA) communication network. Sign up for their newsletter at https://www.ufcaphilly.org/