Illustration by Mike L. Perry The Unmaking of DM+D by Alex Vuocolo For the Department of Making + Doing (DM+D), a collaborative makerspace situated on the western edge of University City, location is a blessing and curse. Michael Darfler, program manager at the space, says that DM+D owes much of its success to its
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Succeeding also means the freedom to fail -- and try again -- at Philadelphia's Maker Jawn program
Moreby Alex Vuocolo Before taking part in the Philadelphia Water Department’s (PWD) new vocational training program, Ayanna Turner, 19, never thought much about stormwater and how it affected the city around her. “I just thought about the sewer, to be honest,” Turner said. “I didn’t know there were other ways you could save it
MoreAndy Toy Joins Southeast Asian NonprofitAndy Toy, formerly of the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation, is now the development and communications manager for Southeast Asian Mutual Assistance Associations Coalition, Inc. (SEAMAAC), a nonprofit organization serving immigrants and refugees in the Philadelphia region since 1984. “I’ve personally seen SEAMAAC grow and evolve over the last couple decades,”
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Regeneration Nation interview by Heather Shayne Blakeslee Long before the triple bottom line, which takes people, planet and profit into a business’s accounting ledger, and biomimicry, which looks to nature to solve challenging design problems, there was permaculture. The word, first coined in 1978, was used to describe methods of farming that would feed the
MoreVintage Shops As cooler weather approaches and you’re ready to switch over your wardrobe, you can find everything you need at Philadelphia’s growing cadre of vintage shops. A more sustainable choice than a run for cheap goods at a national chain, you’ll find handmade sweaters, fall boots, fancy holiday dresses and all the flair you
MoreInside the Walls by Alex Dews Streets, bridges and power lines all come to mind when we think of infrastructure, but the reason all those things exist in the first place is to connect and power the buildings we inhabit. In Philadelphia, our building stock is perhaps our most valuable infrastructure asset. Earlier this
MoreMore than just a Pretty Face by Alon Abramson We all love before-and-after pictures, but sometimes it’s hard to see beyond the superficial even when a radical transformation has taken place. At first glance, you might think the brightly painted storefronts and homes on 60th Street in West Philadelphia are simply spruced up versions of
MorePushing the Envelope by Alon Abramson A recent change in how low income housing is financed in Pennsylvania, spearheaded by sustainability leader Tim McDonald of Onion Flats, could create a sea change in how all housing is built. To entice developers into building affordable housing, the government provides funding at the federal, state and local
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photo by Lindsay Docherty Man with a Plan by Heather Shayne Blakeslee Andrew Stober is perhaps best known as one of the architects of Indego, the Philadelphia bike share program, which he helped launch while working as the Chief of Staff at the Mayor’s Office of Transportation and Utilities (MOTU). Now, he’s running as an
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