Strolling the Schuylkill: Biking Between Suburbia and City

Investigate the potential for private development oriented around the regional trail network and the role that trails play in retrofitting the transportation network of developed regions. The workshop highlights the Schuylkill River Trails within Philadelphia and showcases how the connections they provide increase access among the central core, peripheral neighborhoods (Manayunk East Falls), and adjacent inner-ring suburbs (Lower Merion). The tour highlights activity nodes and features that have developed in conjunction with the active transportation network. These include a pop-up beer garden in Downtown Manayunk operated by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society; an early 20th-century freight-railroad viaduct transformed into a 24/7 linear park and public gathering space; connections through a romantic cemetery; and the mixed-use conversion of a former waterfront ironworks.

A route weaving between two municipalities illustrates Philadelphia’s industrial history and its significant impact on suburban development. Highlights include long-term, multi-municipal planning at historic sites that exemplify best preservation practices and showcase repurposed structures such as a pedestrian bridge, a converted rail station, and the Pencoyd Ironworks site.

The bike ride is approximately 20 miles.