Meet Fast Forward Presenter >> Jeffrey Barg

What is your Big Idea for Philadelphia?

The Short History and Long Future of Pop Ups in Philly

 

Four years ago, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) created Philadelphia’s first Pop Up Garden at 20th and Market. Since then, every year we’ve picked a new spot in the city and reimagined it to show Philadelphians different ways that open space can be used, how the neglected slivers of the city can be brought back to life in a matter of weeks and on a shoestring budget. Now, in 2014, Philadelphia has become a global leader in tactical urbanism, with a half-dozen pop-ups this summer building beauty in myriad corners of the city. And these spontaneous spaces don’t just add a drop of color to the urban landscape: They’re economic development engines, creating jobs and keeping young Philadelphians active, engaged and spending money in the city. Hear how PHS has transformed the city’s forgotten vacant lots, and what’s next for pop-ups in Philly.

Contact jbarg(at)pennhort.org

Jeffrey Barg is associate director for planning and external policy relations at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, where he works on community gardens, vacant land, government affairs and policy, and more. Before becoming an urban planner, he was an editor and writer for Philadelphia Weekly. He holds a master’s in city and regional planning from the University of Pennsylvania, and in his spare time enjoys running, community theater, and writing musicals. He is currently working on a new musical based on his Philadelphia Weekly column “The Angry Grammarian.”