China and Japan Visit Philadelphia’s Green Infrastructure

Philadelphia’s stormwater management and stream restoration projects reached international ears this month! On September 17th government representatives from Beijing toured the Big Green Block in the Kensington/Fishtown area and two days later members of the Japanese Ecosystem Conservation Society visited Wises Mill in Andorra and the Bells Mill tributary to Wissahickon Park.

Beijing Delegation

The Beijing delegation included 20 officials representing ten of the sixteen Beijing provinces, led by the mayor of the Pinggu district in Beijing. Officials from the China Association of Mayors and the China Center for International Economic Exchange accompanied the group. Following a presentation by the Philadelphia Water Department about Green City, Clean Waters, the delegation set off to the Big Green Block to learn about the projects from community partners.

PWD engineer Evan Wilbert also explained how stormwater tree trenches, rain gardens, porous pavement and the green roofs on Kensington CAPA high-school help manage stormwater runoff. This project embodies the spirit of public-private partnerships  and helped provide the Beijing delegation with ideas on how multiple entities can come together to create a high-impact, sustainable project.

Ecosystem Conservation Society

On Thursday, September 19th, members of the Japanese Ecosystem Conservation Society toured Wises Mill and Bells Mill. The Japanese representatives were on a national tour of inspiring environmental programs and they made Philadelphia their first stop! Both sites are major projects for PWD, as Wises Mill is a model stormwater wetland and Bells Mill exemplifies natural stream restoration. After a presentation by PWD staff, the Friends of Wissahickon staff shared insight on the importance of non-profits, fund-raising and public-private partnerships and the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation staff provided information about the local flora and the history of Fairmount Park.

Both groups enjoyed their tours and learned a lot about our green infrastructure projects. To see more pictures from these events, check out the slideshow below!