Summary of plan goals

Connect

Goal 1

Develop a clean and green network of streets along primary circulation routes that connect major services, amenities, and green spaces to Bartram Village and the waterfront.

Goal 2

Foster a safe neighborhood day and night for residents of all ages.

Goal 3

Create a healthy outdoor environment that promotes physical exercise, social experiences, and wellness.

Goal 4

Enhance the existing transportation network through safe street crossings, trail connections, and increased walkability.

Live

Goal 1

Promote healthy, affordable housing and homeownership opportunities throughout the Bartram Choice neighborhood.

Goal 2

Provide attractive, affordable housing and a healthy built environment at Bartram Village.

Goal 3

Enhance the physical health of residents by expanding access to a wider range of quality health services.

Goal 4

Establish an environment that promotes positive mental health and healing.

Goal 5

Improve access to nutritious, affordable food.

Thrive

Goal 1

Develop a pathway to success beginning in early childhood.

Goal 2

Nurture a culture of literacy at Bartram Village.

Goal 3

Cultivate a local employment ecosystem that aligns with neighborhood needs and opportunities.

Goal 4

Bridge the basic skills divide.

Goal 5

Strengthen the identity and vibrancy of the neighborhood.

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About the 01 Neighborhood

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The Bartram Choice neighborhood is fortunate to have a number of advantages to build upon. These include a well-established transit system connected to major employment hubs. In addition, the neighborhood enjoys several active commercial corridors, churches, schools, health facilities, parks and community facilities, not to mention some very passionate neighbors.

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IN THIS SECTION

Bartram Village Defining the Bartram Choice neighborhood Resident profile A little history The neighborhood today

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The Bartram Choice neighborhood has all of the features that are attracting people across the country to urban environments—vibrant, walkable blocks; a variety of housing, activities, green spaces, and jobs nearby; transit alternatives to leave the car behind... it’s all here.

But the neighborhood and many of its residents are not thriving as much as they could, in part because these pieces are fragmented. The area’s industrial heritage and decades of disinvestment have created infrastructure challenges that make it difficult for residents to access or “connect” to these resources. The aging housing stock, concerns about crime and safety, unemployment, and low incomes have also made it harder for residents to “live” comfortably and healthfully, let alone “thrive.”

Fortunately, many of the building blocks that allowed the community to flourish as a streetcar suburb remain. And its these seeds that the Bartram Choice plan strives to build on so that all residents may connect—live—thrive!

◀ Civic resources like the

Kingsessing Library help to anchor neighborhood corridors and provide key programs

◀ Neighborhood green spaces like Bartram’s Garden and other community gardens provide spaces to build community, support healthy lifestyles and nurture a connection to nature that is educational, healing, and restorative

◀ The neighborhood’s lively commercial corridors offer services, amenities, and employment

◀ The historic housing stock and walkable human-scale design help to provide a strong foundation for quality of life

◀ Regular trolley service connects residents to jobs and services throughout the city