The Kensington neighborhood in northeastern Philadelphia has become synonymous with the opioid addiction, its proximity to I-95 offering easy access to illegal drugs stored in empty warehouses. But this wasn’t always the case. Up until the second half of the twentieth century, Kensington was a thriving manufacturing district, with factories and a bustling local business corridor.
The Kensington Corridor Trust (KCT) is working to rebuild this neighborhood anchor and has partnered with Lisa Servon, the Kevin and Erica Penn Presidential Professor in the Stuart Weitzman School of Design, through an Academically Based Community Service (ABCS) course: Housing, Community and Economic Development Practicum. Through this capstone course, students earning a Master of City Planning degree work with community members on projects identified by KCT.
On Dec. 16, Servon and KCT were awarded the 2024 Provost/Netter Center Faculty-Community Partnership Award. Presented by Provost John L. Jackson Jr. and Ira Harkavy, founder and Barbara and Edward Netter director of the Netter Center for Community Partnerships, the award recognizes Servon’s commitment to and leadership in community-engaged scholarship and building trusted, sustained relationships with community-based organizations.
“Partnering with Penn students on design projects brings fresh perspectives, innovative approaches, and valuable technical skills to an organization’s work,” Jackson says. “Students apply classroom knowledge to real-world challenges, with data analysis, mapping, and policy insights that help inform strategic decisions. This collaborative effort not only enhances the organization’s capacity to execute its mission but also helps build a future pipeline of leaders who understand and prioritize community-driven development.”
“This annual award recognizes collaborative, democratic, mutually beneficial partnerships that simultaneously improve the quality of life in the community and the research, teaching and learning at the university,” says Harkavy. “Lisa’s partnership with Adriana and the team at Kensington Corridor Trust is an inspiring example of a successful partnership developed through an innovative ABCS course.”
The Penn/KCT partnership and capstone ABCS course integrates the university’s educational mission to enrich student training with the goal of creating tangible and lasting community impact in the Kensington neighborhood, said the award selection committee.
“I’m very grateful to the Netter Center and to the provost for recognizing and supporting this work,” says Servon. “KCT is a tremendous partner and the students learn a ton—not least of which is the importance of giving back to Philadelphia’s communities.”
Adriana Abizadeh, KCT’s executive director, says that the partnership added capacity and expertise to the organization’s data-led work and supported students in gaining exposure to supporting disinvested neighborhoods. “We hope that through this collaboration, a few more urban planners will root their practice in equitable, community-centered development," she says.
The Provost/Netter Center Faculty-Community Partnership Award is an annual award that recognizes sustained and productive faculty-community partnership projects. The award includes $10,000 to further develop the projects, shared between the faculty member and community partner.
