Grounded In Philly: Updated Vacant Land Website

Posted by Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia on May 18, 2015

The Public Interest Law Center has added new data and improved the user experience on its http://GroundedInPhilly.org website so it is even easier for residents to locate and gain access to vacant land in their neighborhood for community gardening, urban farming, and other community-driven projects.

http://www.groundedinphilly.org/

GroundedInPhilly.org aggregates data on ownership, zoning, liability, permeability and other land characteristics from city agencies such as the Records Department, the City Planning Commission, the Water Department, Licenses & Inspections, the Office of Property Assessment, and the Redevelopment Authority. Residents can also use the site to connect with one another and start a project together if they are interested in using the same land. The website originally launched in 2013 to help connect residents to this data and to one another. Since then, the site has received more than 71,000 page views and over 100 gardeners have connected through the site to organize around 255 lots. Updated data and a streamlined design were added in early 2015, making the website even more user-friendly. Grounded in Philly will soon be enhanced to allow users to download a comprehensive database of vacant parcel data.