In North Philadelphia, equitable community development requires community engagement
Esperanza’s Gabriella Gabriel Paez and Firm Hope Baptist Church’s Rev. Richard Harris discuss revitalization projects they’ve piloted in Hunting Park and Kensington and how they keep local residents top of mind.
The opening of Grace Townhomes. Rev. Harris is in the back row. (Photo courtesy of the Women’s Community Revitalization Project)
Gentrification can be a scary word, and one often heard in Philadelphia.
While neighborhood development projects often purport to benefit the communities where they’re taking place, the appearance of doing good doesn’t always equal the desired effect. Longtime residents can feel left out of these sometimes-huge projects concerning their neighborhoods when they don’t have much input into whatever is planned.
So, how can Philadelphians help improve their neighborhoods without gentrification taking place? How can they take an idea or important issue and transform it into something more without the assistance of outside dollars or leadership?
Faith-based nonprofit Esperanza has been involved with its Hunting Park community for about 30 years, leading neighbor-driven revitalization programs such as My Hunting Park and partnerships with the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation street greening initiative TreePhilly.
Gabriella Gabriel Páez, education and community development coordinator for Esperanza, has been heavily involved with connecting with Esperanza’s neighbors in order to not only educate them about the importance of sustainability, but to also form lasting relationships. For this work, she was honored with SustainPHL’s 2018 Activist of the Year award.
Read the rest of the story here…
Dominique “Peak” Johnson is a North Philadelphia journalist. He is one of the founding editors of the North Philly Metropolis. Currently he freelances for WHYY, Billy Penn and Citywide Stories. Click here to learn more about Peak.
