Since 2012, Sister Cities Park has been an extraordinarily popular public space and play destination for residents and tourists of Philadelphia. However, there remained opportunities to expand the age range and usership of the space. 

We partnered with Center City District in the fall of 2018 on a site assessment of play value and use. Our final presentation shared key takeaways from user interviews, maps of movement patterns, usage by time and day, and potential additions to enhance play value. 

In the spring of 2019, we worked with Studio Bryan Hanes, the initial designers of the Discovery Garden, to brainstorm concepts for the expansion of the garden based on our assessment. 

The additions opened in the summer of 2020.