Vine Street Meander

The Vine Street Expressway stretches from the Delaware River to the Schyulkill River, and divides the city of Philadelphia in two. The sunken highway passes through a number of diverse neighborhoods and populations, but fractures the continuity of the pedestrian experience at ground level. The Meander is a responsive urban design project aiming to connect the north and south. Centered on the vacant and underused areas adjacent to the expressway and its surface streets, the meander welds the syncopated driving experience to the meandering pedestrian route. Automotive- and pedestrian-scaled design features give identity to the corridor within and above the expressway. Multi-phased, the Meander first claims important public zones in the service of a low-cost summer festival, Wine on Vine, that brings energy and public awareness to spaces for future development. Site elements incorporate surplus industrial materials and dynamic graphic applications.