MW17-American Street: The Road to Green and Complete Streets

American Street in the heart of North Philadelphia tells a story of a corridor in transition, from an era of factories to disused blocks of vacant lots to a new generation of transit-supportive green and complete streets. It’s also a story of collaboration between city streets and water departments, the transit agency and state and federal partners. Completed in 2021, the two-mile streetscape project now manages over 50 acres of storm water with green infrastructure, includes wider sidewalks and grade separated bike lanes and serves buses, freight and changing communities. Walk the corridor with practitioners involved to hear first-hand about coordinating complex elements, lessons learned and the ways this right-sized corridor impacts forthcoming Trolley Modernization and Vision Zero investments.

Photo: American Street with green stormwater infrastructure. Credit: City of Philadelphia