Updated February 2023
Who we are
A neighborhood of strengths
As neighborhood residents are well aware, Kensington is suffering from poverty, systemic racism, homelessness, drug and alcohol addiction, gentrification, housing exploitation, and lack of support for mental health.
But Kensington is also a neighborhood of assets: affordable real estate, solid housing stock, easy access to transportation, dedicated neighbors and civic groups, and three times more small businesses than the city average. Looking at four square miles centered on Kensington Avenue, Kensington is one of the most racially and ethnically diverse places in Philadelphia, home to more than 78,000 people, with 39% more children than the city average.
Finding a way forward in Kensington will mean shifting from a scarcity mindset to abundance-based strategies.
How this planning started
March for Safety + Solutions
In March 2021, SEPTA suddenly announced that Somerset Station was closing “indefinitely.” That El stop is a critical source of transportation for Kensington and Port Richmond. Residents, civic groups, faith communities, nonprofits, and city councilmembers organized in solidarity with SEPTA workers to demand “Safety and Solutions.” They asked for solutions that addressed the station’s underlying challenges so that the station could remain open and its problems would not simply be pushed into the surrounding neighborhoods or other SEPTA stations. Within two weeks the station was open again as repairs continued.
PHOTO: Erin Blewett for Kensington Voice
Setting priorities for the mayor
Later that summer, Philadelphia City Council held a public hearing at Lewis Elkin Middle School to address unsafe living conditions in Kensington. Kensington Voice reported that at least six dozen Kensington community members marched through Clearfield and D Streets to the hearing. Afterward, a coalition of neighborhood groups summarized concerns and solutions that had been voiced at the meeting, and sent the summary to Mayor Kenney. The group continued to organize and include additional voices to bring light to “the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the community” and identify sustainable solutions they expected the Kenney administration to address.
Shared vision for health and wellness
At the same time, two local community development corporations—NKCDC and Impact Services—have been working together to make strategic investments to improve Kensington’s health and prosperity. By following existing community plans, Impact and NKCDC are showing how a collaborative and resident-driven process is already working in Kensington.
Current projects following existing plans
In two existing plans produced with community input (the Heart of Kensington Collective Impact Plan and the North of Lehigh Neighborhood Plan) Kensington residents identified priorities for the Kensington and Indiana Avenue corridors.
Impact Services and NKCDC have already begun developing critical infrastructure and programming to meet those community priorities. The six projects below are examples of how a collaborative and resident-driven process can work in Kensington. Together with new partners and resources, these anchor projects are leading to improved health, wellness, and prosperity for the neighborhood.
Kensington Empowerment Hub
Ground-floor commercial space at the corner of Ruth and Somerset Streets provides work stations and meeting space for organizations offering free legal counsel, tax preparation, and other community services. Coupled with community health workers and housing counselors in NKCDC’s offices next door, the Hub is becoming a one-stop shop for resources and social supports.
780 sq ft of community space
$200,000+ investmentCOMPLETED 2022
A and Indiana
Impact Services is addressing several social determinants of health by eliminating blight, increasing affordable housing and reversing a decades-old cycle of disinvestment. The first phase of the project delivered 48 units of affordable housing in 2022. When complete, the campus will include a community center, a gym, communal outdoor spaces, and 68,000 square feet of commercial space reserved for a mission-aligned partner.
48 units of affordable housing
68,000 sq ft of commercial space
$22M investmentHOUSING COMPLETED 2022
McPherson Square
McPherson Square Park and Library serves as a key anchor on the corridor. Improvements to the park include the complete redevelopment of the library and park through the city’s Rebuild initiative, 10 scattered-site affordable housing units around the park, organizing and strengthening the Friends of McPherson civic group, and programs that create safe spaces for children and help activate the library and park year-round.
6 acre park
10,000 sq ft library
$13M potential investment
Tusculum Square
With private foundation support NKCDC has purchased and is activating four vacant lots as a community garden and gathering space. Working with near neighbors, local family-serving businesses and communities, and supportive resource partners, we will improve health outcomes through overlapping services and programs.
3,850 sq ft of open space
$100,000+ investmentLOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMUNITY INPUT STARTING IN 2023
Kensington Planning Center
Identified as a key corridor property in the Heart of Kensington plan, NKCDC is renovating the building as a center for community engagement and youth programming. It will serve as a resource for families, neighborhood groups, entrepreneurs, and more.
3,573 sq ft of community space
$1M+ investmentREDEVELOPMENT TO START IN 2023
Ruth Street Civic House
Beginning in 2023, NKCDC will build 44 new, affordable one-and-two-bedroom apartments on Ruth Street, next door to its offices at Orinoka Civic House and one block from Tusculum Square. Apartments will be priced appropriately for the neighborhood, at 20, 40 or 50 percent of Philadelphia’s Area Median Income.
44 units of affordable housing
$19M investmentDEVELOPMENT TO START IN 2023