HARRISBURG

AB
KASHFSHOAIB-1
 “CITY AS A PARK”

PROLOGUE
IN 1901, WARREN MANNING PRESENTED HARRISBURG CITY WITH A PLAN FOR A
COMPREHENSIVE PARK SYSTEM THAT RELATED TO THE CITY AS A WHOLE. RATHER
THAN FOCUS ON CREATING A SINGLE, CENTRAL PARK OR A SERIES OF LARGE
PARKS, HE ENVISIONED THE WHOLE CITY AS A PARK.
HISTORY
HARRISBURG IS THE CAPITAL CITY OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF
PENNSYLVANIA IN THE UNITED STATES.
WITH A POPULATION OF 49,192. IT LIES ON THE EAST BANK OF
THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER, 107 MILES (172 KM) WEST OF PHILADELPHIA.
DESTROYED IN WWII

CONCEPT OF NEW BUSINESS DISTRICT

• GREENFIELD DEVELOPMENT
• BUSINESS CENTRES, OFFICES, HOTELS, GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS SHOPS, SPORT • LANDSCAPE BUFFER TO SCREEN CAPITAL BUSINESS
FACILITIES CENTER WAREHOUSES
• TRANSPORT ORIENTED DESIGN
• NEW STUDENT HOUSING (ADDITIONAL 830 TO 1380
• UNDEVIDED SYSTEM OF PARKS
• IMPROVEMENT OF WATERFRONT AREAS BEDS)
 GOAL
• Develop a network of neighborhood playgrounds within walking distance of all residents
• Reconnect Reservoir Park to all residents of the City and better connect the resources within
the park.
• Establish a new and on-going priority to make Harrisburg a pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly
city.

DEFENSIBLE CITY
• BRING CITIZENS INTO THE MANAGEMENT OF THE PUBLIC
SPACES OF THE CITY BY ESTABLISHING AN INDEPENDENT, NOT-
FOR-PROFIT CONSERVANCY TO MANAGE THE PARKS AND
PUBLIC SPACES, AND WORKING WITH CITIZEN GROUPS AND
NEIGHBORHOODS AS PARTNERS.

EVOLUTION
The plan is thick with ideas on how to improve and revitalize the city,
including
• adding more green space
• preserving historic buildings
• revitalizing blighted and depopulated areas.
The “Land Use” chapter alone, for instance, contains dozens of separate
ideas, including:
• Extending the dense downtown to former industrial areas along
Paxton Creek.
• Building a system of public squares at points where commercial
and residential areas intersect.
• Transit oriented design
 CRITICS
THIS COMPREHENSIVE PLAN THAT IS
ADVANCING THE CONCEPT OF “CITY AS
A PARK” —
• A CITY THAT IS BEAUTIFUL AND
GREEN
• THAT IS SUSTAINABLE
• THAT IS DESIGNED AND BUILT FOR
HUMAN SCALE, EQUITABLY
ACCESSIBLE TO ALL.

MAJOR FEATURES
WARREN MANNING PLACED THREE LARGE, NATURAL LANDSCAPES AT THE EDGES OF OUR CITY—
RIVER FRONT ALONG THE WESTERN EDGE
RESERVOIR PARK IN THE EASTERN PART OF THE CITY
WILDWOOD PARK TO THE NORTH.
CONNECTED THEM WITH A MEANDERING, LANDSCAPED PARKWAY THAT WRAPPED THE CITY’S
PERIMETER.
TO FURTHER INTEGRATE THESE PARKS INTO THE RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS, MANNING
RECOMMENDED THAT:
(1) SEVERAL MAJOR ARTERIAL STREETS BE DEVELOPED AS BOULEVARDS
(2) ALL STREETS BE PLANTED WITH UNIFORM ROWS OF TREES 1. BUT THE RENTAL HOUSING IS INCREASINGLY UNAFFORDABLE FOR
(3) ALL CITIZENS BE WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE OF PARKS AND PLAYGROUNDS. RESIDENTS.
2. ALTHOUGH PROPERTIES ARE FAIRLY INEXPENSIVE THROUGHOUT MUCH
OF THE CITY, IT IS DIFFICULT FOR MANY CITY HOUSEHOLDS TO
PURCHASE THEM, LEADING TO BLIGHTED STRUCTURES AND ABSENTEE
OWNERSHIP, AND CONTRIBUTING TO HOUSING INSECURITY.
3. THERE IS A LACK OF DIVERSITY IN HOUSING TYPES, SUCH AS
CONDOMINIUMS OR COOPERATIVES.
4. MANY OF HARRISBURG’S LARGE VACANT PROPERTIES, WHICH PRESENT
SUBSTANTIAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR NEW DEVELOPMENT AND
ECONOMIC GROWTH, ARE LOCATED IN THE CITY’S FLOODPLAIN AREAS,
MAKING DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGING.