Parkside Evans is a

destination park.

Let’s make it function like one.

Reimagine West Philly’s Most Critically-Located Park

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Reimagining West Philly’s most critically-located Playground & Park • Reimagining West Philly’s most critically-located Playground & Park • Reimagining West Philly’s most critically-located Playground & Park •

Parkside Evans

Renewal

Poised to be a key park in Philly’s exciting next few years, now is the perfect time to give Parkside Evans the “Center City treatment” it deserves. We want to make the park an icon of how Philly parks can serve a diverse range of people, and be flexible enough to host both large events and small community gatherings, all while maintaining a neighborhood-first focus.

Inaccessible - Rarely Used - Poorly Lit - Lacking Security - Single-Purpose - Misallocated -

What it is

Misallocated - Inaccessible - Rarely Used - Poorly Lit - Single-Purpose -

Single-Purpose - Incomplete - Broken - Unsafe - Misallocated - Inaccessible - Rarely Used -

Parkside Evans is an expansive park. However, there re some large swaths of land that are misallocated to singular use cases, such as the tennis courts. Tennis interest, however, doesn’t seem to be keeping up with the supply of facilities, resulting in most of the tennis courts being underutilized.
Outdated and broken playground equipment, eroded play surfaces, remnants of old equipment, and lack of comprehensive fencing are all contributing factors to the lack of safety in the park.
Additionally, the absence of security cameras allows for criminal behavior that residents would prefer be more heavily discouraged from the park area.
Drinking fountains, updated Park signage, proper trash cans, and a fresh coat of paint– All things the Park could use an update on for the community to take pride in the space, and create a more inviting environment for visitors.

We want to redesign elements of the park to be multifunctional, creating both separation and connection between play areas that make sense for all users. For example, our play road that encircles the playground area creates an extra degree of separation from the rest of the park. Fencing around the basketball court keeps balls from bouncing away, while keeping small children from wandering outside of the playground area and into the woods.
Modern playground design should emphasize equipment that offers something fun for children with unique physical needs. By partnering with local desig studios, such as Studio Ludo (see FDR Park), we can design swingsets and freestanding equipment that can be used by all.
Some children go to the park to play with their scooters and bikes, not with ladders and slides. Building a rubber safety-surface play road encircling the park lets kids cruise around without cutting through other active areas of play.
From the Labor Day basketball games with Dr. J cameos to the upcoming Children’s World’s Fair, Parkside Evans has the potential to be more things to more people. We’re proposing that the Park lean into its identity as being a warm host for events, by making it conducive to hosting things that neighbors actually want intheir neighborhood.
Kids sports leagues & tournaments, community parties, summer camps, and food truck festivals all have a home in the new park design.
Replacing playground equipment and play surfaces, completing fencing around play areas, and creating natural separation between park elements will create a safer environment for all users.
Additionally, we are proposing installing a comprehensive security camera system, with bird’s eye visibility of the entire park and recreation center. We hope to curb violent crime in the neighborhood, while increasing the sense of safety for residents and visitors.

Secure - Playful - Athletic - Diverse - Inclusive - Accessible -

What it could be

Accessible - Playful - Athletic - Diverse - Inclusive - Accessible - Playful - Athletic - Diverse - Inclusive - Accessible - Playful - Athletic - Diverse - Inclusive - Accessible - Playful - Athletic - Diverse - Inclusive - Accessible - Playful - Athletic - Diverse - Inclusive - Accessible - Playful - Athletic - Diverse - Inclusive - Accessible - Playful - Athletic - Diverse - Inclusive - Accessible - Playful - Athletic - Diverse - Inclusive - Accessible - Playful - Athletic - Diverse - Inclusive -

Protected - Athletic - Diverse - Inclusive - Accessible - Playful -

Make Space

Soccer

Studies show that in US urban environments, soccer courts are used 89% more than tennis courts. Interest in soccer is skyrocketing in cities, as evidenced by Rebuild’s recent initiative to install 15 soccer courts in existing Philly parks. Soccer courts could be used for leisurely pickup games or rented out by local kids’ leagues to offer our community another alternative for extracurricular activities.

Pickleball

A more accessible and social experience than tennis, Pickleball has seen astronomical growth in popularity over the past few years. It real strength is its inclusivity, as it uniquely appeals to both children and senior citizens alike, offering a sport for a more diverse group of people in our park. We expect that pickleball would draw a similarly consistent influx of visiting park users as the basketball courts.

Family Events

Some people come for the playground, some people come for the ball– But often, they come for it all. Creating space for people & families to hang between activities is an important part of our vision. Replacing broken picnic tables by the playground and creating designated picnic areas near the athletic facilities bring more people together, regardless of their interest. Plus, it creates a great infrastructure for events!

Spectatorship

While our park becomes host to a range of sporting events, both official and unofficial, one thing is true; People love to watch! Let’s get our teenagers off the ground into bleachers to watch friends play, or watch the “Old Heads vs. Young Bucks” summer game every year. Bleachers around the soccer court areas will create space for parents with kids in leagues, while our park can host more prolific & entertaining events.

But what about tennis?

At first glance, it might seem that our proposal neglects tennis. Contrarily, we love our tennis-playing park visitors! However, even on the busiest days, we’ve observed that only 1-3 courts are ever used. We’re also located only a short drive away from a dedicated 12-court tennis park at Chamonix. At Parkside, we’d like to preserve the 3 tennis courts furthest from the basketball courts to continue offering a secluded, peaceful place to play. The order of athletic facilities, from basketball, to soccer, to pickleball, to tennis creates a logical gradient of related activities, making players of all sports feel right at home.

The Park

Click link for video

Why now?

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2026 is going to be a massive year, not just for the City of Philadelphia, but specifically for the Parkside Neighborhood. Currently, Parkside Evans is the only functioning park with both athletic and playground facilities on the Parkside Ave stretch. This means that our Park would inevitably be centric for events like the Children’s World’s Fair of 2026. Let’s put our best foot forward for all of the visitors who will be coming through our Park and leverage all of the value that our Park has to offer during that season to diversify the ways in which it’s used.

Identifying Potential Partners

Athletic Area

Phase 1A - Soccer Mini Pitches

-Install two soccer mini pitches, designed, installed and with corporate sponsorship brokered by USSF. (USSF-installed pitches will also include lighting).

-Install high fencing along the perimeter of the soccer mini pitch area & on woods/street sides of existing Rebuild grass field (additional funding TBD for fencing).

-Install low fencing on grass area outside of Rebuild grass field, to encourage pet owners to abstain from using athletic facilities.

Phase 1B - Pickleball Courts

-Run electric and install lighting for pickleball court area, including electrical/Cat6 provision for future security camera install.

-Repaint and install netting for six pickleball courts on the middle section of existing tennis courts.

-Install low-height fencing between courts.

-Cut, and dig out garden areas around pickleball courts, and plant shrubbery (Community to assist with labor).

Phase 1C - Basketball & Bleachers

-Repaint basketball court and replace missing nets.

-Install bleachers at basketball court and soccer mini pitches.

Playground Area

Phase 2A

- Remove existing rubber mulch surface, and replace all playground equipment with new equipment and features.

Phase 2B

- Run electric, replace sidewalk area, install light fixtures and security cameras.

Phase 2C

- Install new safety surface in playground area, construct play road and install new perimeter fencing.

Phase 2D

- Install security cameras in provisioned areas, and install new Park signage (Similar to West Parkside train signage on 52nd St.) workflow is enabled to upload dailies same-day (and with the right location circumstances, footage can be streamed) for client review.

Amenities

Phase 3A

- Run electric and install lighting for picnic area & provision for food truck area.

Phase 3B

- Pave parking lot and gravel picnic area, as well as new driveway for food trucks.

Hey, Parkside neighbors…

What do you want to see in your park? Let us know!