Location
Philadelphia is located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is the sixth largest city in the United States. It sits in a river valley between the Delaware River and the smaller Schuylkill river. The city region includes 135.1 square miles (349.9 square kilometers) of land and 7.6 square miles (19.7 square kilometers) of water. It is a relatively flat area, as the city is situated on the Atlantic Coastal Plain and the Piedmont1. The majority of the city’s land reaches barely above sea level. The highest elevated part of the Philadelphia region is 445 feet (136.6 meters) above sea level, whereas the lowest elevation rests around 10 feet (3 meters) above sea level2. Philadelphia is in a temperate region of the United States. Temperatures typically range from 20-90 degrees Fahrenheit (-6 to 32 degrees Celsius) on average each year, varying seasonally. The hot season typically lasts from May to September, whereas the cold season typically spans from November through March. October and April are transitional months. Therefore, Philadelphia’s predominant biome is the eastern temperate deciduous forest. This includes oak-hickory forest, northern floodplain forest, and freshwater tidal marshes. The Wissahickon forest of Philadelphia is dominated by deciduous trees such as White Oak, Red Oak, Black Oak, Chestnut Oak, and Tulip Trees. Abundant animal life includes a variety of small birds, squirrels, hawks, chipmunks, deer, opossum, raccoons, groundhogs, and red foxes. Northern floodplain tree species such as Red Maples, eastern Sycamore, Shagbark Hickory, River Birch, and Sweet Gum can be found alongside bodies of water1,3. Freshwater tidal marshes can be found in and around the Delaware River. Some coniferous trees, such as pines, are also common in and around the Philadelphia region.
History & Population Information
Philadelphia is situated on the indigenous lands of the Lenni-Lenape. Tribes of Lenape Hunter-Gatherers lived in the Delaware Valley as early as 8000 B.C. In the early 1600s, Swedish and English settlers established trade in the Delaware Valley due to the accessibility of cargo transport on the Delaware River. In 1681, Charles II of England granted a charter to William Penn for what would become the Pennsylvania colony, and eventually the 2nd U.S. state. As European settlers colonized the region, Lenape tribes were infected with deadly diseases, such as smallpox, and were eventually pushed west. The city of Philadelphia was officially founded on October 27th, 16825.
Philadelphia is a densely populated urban area, with a population of 1,567,258 as of July 20236. It has decreased by -4.86% since the last census in 2020. The city is fairly diverse ethnically and religiously. The population is 44.6% White, 43% Black, 16.1% Hispanic or Latino, 1% Native American, 8.2% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 3% two or more races. These percentages add up to more than 100% due to the fact that many people identify as more than one of these ethnicities. Religiously, Philadelphia is predominantly Christian (68%). Of the Christian sects, Catholicism takes the majority. Only 8% of Philadelphia residents identify as a non-Christian religion, with 3% identifying as Jewish, and all other major religions being 1% of the population or less7. The median income in Philadelphia is $57,537 as of 2022. 21.5% of the population sits below the poverty line. Marginalized groups are disproportionately impacted by poverty.
Despite segregation never being legal in Pennsylvania, the city has a strong history of housing discrimination through redlining, which began with the creation of the Homeowners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) and the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). FHA’s redlining process was part of an initiative to develop the first underwriting criteria for mortgages. Redlining is a discriminatory process that denies services such as mortgages to residents of certain areas because they are seen as not worthy of investing in. The implementation of this federal policy accelerated the decay and isolation of minority inner city neighborhoods through withholding of mortgage capital, making it even more difficult for neighborhoods to attract and retain families able to purchase homes. The “redlined” zones often possessed populations of minorities, such as African Americans, immigrants, and Jews. The discriminatory assumptions in redlining resulted in residential racial discrimination and urban decay in Philadelphia, which is currently one of the most racially segregated cities in the nation. In the 1950s, the rise of Suburbia led to white flight and urban blight, further exacerbating structural racism in the Philadelphia region. Historically redlined areas of Philadelphia continue to disproportionately experience poverty, poor health, below average education, exposure to poor environmental conditions, unemployment, and violent crime compared to other neighborhoods in the city8.
Government, Infrastructure, & Economy
The City of Philadelphia operates under a democratic structure of government within the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is a swing state, however, Philadelphia county is consistently democratic. In January of 2024, democratic candidate Cherelle Parker was elected into office as the first female mayor of Philadelphia. Philadelphia also has a 17 person city council, 10 of which are elected by council and 7 of which are elected at large9. The city council’s role as the legislative body of Philadelphia is to enact the city’s laws and resolutions, hold hearings, and approve its operating budget and members of city boards and commissions10. Council members are elected into office every 4 years, but there is no limit on the number of terms that an individual can serve. The City of Philadelphia possesses several city boards and commissions. Some of these are intertwined with city wide sustainability initiatives, such as the Office of Sustainability, the Office of Transportation, Infrastructure, and Sustainability (OTIS), the Office of Public Health, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, the Philadelphia Water Department, and the Air Pollution Control Board11.
Philadelphia’s neighborhoods are divided into six large sections that surround Center City: North Philadelphia, Northeast Philadelphia, South Philadelphia, Southwest Philadelphia, West Philadelphia, and Northwest Philadelphia. The City Planning Commission, which guides the growth and development of the city, has divided the city into 18 planning districts as part of the Philadelphia2035 development plan12. Philadelphia’s major modes of public transportation include an international airport, a dense network of interstate highways, a regional rail system (SEPTA – The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority), and access to several key ports13. The city also possesses a SEPTA bus system and a high walkability score of 88/10014.
Philadelphia’s major economic sectors include healthcare and social assistance, higher education, professional and technical services, trade, administrative and waste services, manufacturing, public administration, food services, and tourism and financial services15.
Natural Resources
Park systems and the Delaware River are currently Philadelphia’s most significant natural commodities. Philadelphia has a total recreational park land of 11,211 acres. This includes city parks, squares, playgrounds, athletic fields, recreation centers and golf courses, as well as state and federal parks16. The Delaware River has historically been a crucial resource in the Philadelphia Region. Today, the river still serves as a resource for drinking water and importing and exporting goods. The American Rivers Association notes that more than 17 million people get their drinking water from the Delaware River basin, including two of the five largest cities in the U.S.—New York City and Philadelphia17. The Philadelphia Port on the Delaware River generates 54,805 jobs in Pennsylvania and is the largest refrigerated port in the United States. Its trade value is worth $30.5 Billion18. Moreover, the Delaware River combined with the park system also brings in tourism and recreational activities. These natural resources increase quality of life in an urban environment. Green areas – such as Philadelphia’s park systems – are a valuable commodity that the city of Philadelphia aims to conserve and increase through Philadelphia’s greening initiatives. The Pennsylvania Horticultural society continuously strives to maintain and develop green areas throughout the city region. This includes the conservation of existing green spaces, the revitalization of neighborhood parks, and the transformation of vacant land, especially in former industrial sites known as brownfields.
Education
In the current 2024 school year, there are 305 public schools serving 180,891 public students in Philadelphia, and there are 214 private schools serving 43,482 students19. The primary public school district in the region, the Philadelphia School District, contains 218 schools and 118,053 students. This includes 68 preschools, 157 elementary Schools, 125 middle schools, and 56 high schools. The district’s minority enrollment is 90% and 69.5% of students are economically disadvantaged20. The Philadelphia public school system has a below average student proficiency level in math and reading. Additionally, the Philadelphia school district places at a college readiness level of 20.8 out of a score of 100. The Philadelphia public school system relies on local, state, and federal funding, and therefore cannot raise its own money. Moreover, property taxes play a significant role in public school funding. Therefore, schools in disadvantaged neighborhoods ultimately receive lower funding, which can impact quality of education. Other options include independently funded and operated charter schools that are application based, as well as private schools which require tuition payment.
Higher education is a significant source of revenue in the Philadelphia region. Educational occupations make up 12.2% of all Philadelphia county employment. There are 87 colleges, universities, and technical schools in the greater Philadelphia region. Combined, these Philadelphia-based institutions employ 179,108 people and earn more than $27 billion revenue annually21. Despite the abundance of higher education institutions in the region, only 33.6% of Philadelphia residents have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher, and 86.9% have received a high school diploma6.
Healthcare
The healthcare system is the largest employer in Philadelphia County. The City of Philadelphia has over 37 hospitals, many linked to primary care providers within the same health networks22. These rely primarily on state, local, and federal government funding as well as on donations. Healthcare in Philadelphia is rated as high quality, however, access to primary care providers is disproportionate across Philadelphia’s neighborhoods, as they vary racially and socio-economically.
Health insurance coverage is primarily linked to one’s employer, therefore those who do not have access to employment based insurance may have difficulty accessing the care that they need. Medicaid provides government funded health insurance to low-income, disadvantaged, and disabled individuals. However, many individuals are completely uninsured due to unemployment and high insurance costs.
Sustainability
Greenworks, first launched by Mayor Nutter in 2009, served as the city’s first comprehensive sustainability plan, with the lofty goal of Philadelphia the greenest city in America by 2015. While this proved itself to be a bit ambitious, Philadelphia is showing significant progress in sustainability initiatives. The Philadelphia Office of Sustainability is a governmental department that aims “to improve quality of life in Philadelphia by providing environmental, equity, economic, and health benefits for all”23. The Office of Sustainability includes an Environmental Justice Team, a Climate Solutions team, The Municipal Energy Office, and The Office of Climate Resilience. Within these departments, the Office of Sustainability works toward environmental justice and aims to reduce carbon emissions through advocacy, education, policymaking, and instituting benchmarks for energy use and clean energy transition. In December of 2019, the City of Philadelphia instated a plastic bag ban through the Office of Sustainability24. The city began enforcing the ban in April of 2022. Additionally, solar energy is beginning to be utilized more significantly in Philadelphia as part of a citywide renewable energy goal to generate or purchase renewable energy for 100% of its electricity by 2030, and achieve carbon neutrality by 205025. Other significant strides in sustainability that are currently underway are the conversion of brownfields to municipal parks, an increase in urban agriculture through Farm Philly26, and greening the city with the popularization of vegetated roofs, which also helps manage stormwater drainage.
Projects Goals & Objectives
A practice, process, or entity is sustainable if its initiatives, actions, or impacts serve to meet the social and economic needs of present and future generations within planetary boundaries. In this project, I aim to assess Philadelphia’s successes and challenges in sustainability through the lens of our class’ working definition, employing systems thinking to evaluate the city’s approach to conservation, adaptation, and mitigation efforts whilst attending to overall population’s quality of life. I will evaluate sustainability in this region by identifying problems and proposing potential solutions to address them in the following categories: air pollution/climate, drinking water and water resources, agriculture, food, and nutrition, energy & transportation, natural resource extraction, and waste & garbage management. This will culminate into a complete asset map of the region, highlighting existing resources and solutions to ensure a more sustainable future in the city of Philadelphia.
References
7“Adults in the Philadelphia metro area – Religion in America: U.S. Religious Data, Demographics and Statistics.” n.d. Pew Research Center. Accessed February 8, 2024. https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/religious-landscape-study/metro-area/philadelphia-metro-area/.
19Alam, Melissa. n.d. “Top 20 Best Private Schools in Philadelphia, PA (2024).” Private School Review. Accessed February 7, 2024. https://www.privateschoolreview.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia.
25Chi, Dora. 2022. “Local programs make solar affordable and bring City closer to renewable energy goal | Office of Sustainability.” Phila.gov. https://www.phila.gov/2022-06-01-local-programs-make-solar-affordable-and-bring-city-closer-to-renewable-energy-goal/.
17“Delaware River.” n.d. American Rivers. Accessed February 7, 2024. https://www.americanrivers.org/river/delaware-river/.
11“Departments and other agencies | City of Philadelphia.” n.d. Phila.gov. Accessed February 7, 2024. https://www.phila.gov/departments/.
26“Farm Philly | Programs and initiatives | City of Philadelphia.” n.d. Phila.gov. Accessed February 8, 2024. https://www.phila.gov/programs/farmphilly/.
3“Forests and Trees – Conservation.” n.d. PA DCNR. Accessed February 6, 2024. https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/Conservation/ForestsAndTrees/Pages/default.aspx.
18Grant, Ryan. n.d. Port of Philadelphia. Accessed February 7, 2024. https://www.philaport.com/.
10“How City Council Works.” n.d. Committee of Seventy. Accessed February 7, 2024. https://seventy.org/uploads/attachments/ckv8955fi0blbnvnp8fe4kpq1-how-city-council-works.pdf.
16“List of parks in Philadelphia.” n.d. Wikipedia. Accessed February 7, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_parks_in_Philadelphia.
8“Mapping the Legacy of Structural Racism in Philadelphia – Office of the Controller.” 2020. City Controller. https://controller.phila.gov/philadelphia-audits/mapping-the-legacy-of-structural-racism-in-philadelphia/.
23“Office of Sustainability | Homepage | City of Philadelphia.” n.d. Phila.gov. Accessed February 8, 2024. https://www.phila.gov/departments/office-of-sustainability/.
12“Philadelphia.” n.d. Wikipedia. Accessed February 7, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia.
2“Philadelphia, PA: Geography and Climate – Resurfacing, Repair, & Coatings Contractor | SUNDEK of Pennsylvania.” n.d. Sundek of PA. Accessed February 6, 2024. https://www.sundekofpa.com/philadelphia-pa/geography-and-climate/.
9“Philadelphia City Council.” n.d. Wikipedia. Accessed February 7, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_City_Council.
20“Philadelphia City School District – U.S. News Education.” n.d. USNews.com. Accessed February 7, 2024. https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/pennsylvania/districts/philadelphia-city-sd-101796.
21“Philadelphia colleges and universities.” n.d. Cause IQ. Accessed February 8, 2024. https://www.causeiq.com/directory/colleges-and-universities-list/philadelphia-camden-wilmington-pa-nj-de-md-metro/.
1“Philadelphia Nature: An Overview.” n.d. Donna L. Long. Accessed February 6, 2024. https://donnallong.com/resources/philadelphia-nature/.
14“Philadelphia PA.” n.d. Walk Score. Accessed February 7, 2024. https://www.walkscore.com/score/39.9548419-.dash.75.13980750000002-14/lat=39.9548419/lng=-75.13980750000002/?utm_source=phillyapartmentco.com&utm_medium=ws_api&utm_campaign=ws_api.
24“Plastic bag ban | Programs and initiatives | City of Philadelphia.” n.d. Phila.gov. Accessed February 8, 2024. https://www.phila.gov/programs/plastic-bag-ban/.
5Stallone, Sylvester. 2019. Philadelphia: A History of the City of Brotherly Love. https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/philadelphia-pennsylvania.
22“Staying Healthy.” n.d. Phila.gov. Accessed February 8, 2024. https://www.phila.gov/media/20181109113640/2018-PrimaryCareReportFINAL.pdf.
13“Transportation and Infrastructure.” n.d. Select Greater Philadelphia. Accessed February 7, 2024. https://selectgreaterphl.com/doing-business/transportation-and-infrastructure/.