Competition Program

Site Description

Philadelphia is currently focused on reclaiming its industrial land for sustainable reuse. The site that is the focus of this challenge is an underutilized portion of South Philadelphia, with close proximity to Philadelphia International Airport and the city’s stadium district. A PDF of the competition boundary can be found in the Documents & Images section. Roughly, the site is bounded by Interstate I-76 (a.k.a. the Schuylkill Expressway), 26th Street, Penrose Avenue (aka Route 291), 1-95, Fort Mifflin Road, the Delaware River, and the Walt Whitman Bridge.

This site was selected for a variety of reasons. First, it is a large swath of land accessible to millions by any mode of transportation. The confluence of the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers offers a dramatic and historic setting, and the surrounding lands are a relatively blank slate for central fairgrounds. Thirdly, with industrial, cultural and environmental assets, this site could represent the model of sustainable redevelopment for the 21st Century.

“USA250” is to commence 16 years from now. Therefore, one must weigh the redevelopment potential and feasibility of the existing conditions. Different portions of the site pose different challenges given the timeframe. This is partially why participants have the leeway to pick and choose site-specific project areas or to master plan the whole site. However, a celebration of this magnitude would impact the entire city. Festivities — hypothetical as they may be at this point — will surely occur in Center City and in other areas of Philadelphia and its environs, as well. For this reason, participants are encouraged to view the site in a regional context — focusing on the crucial issue of connectivity.

Major Landmarks

These landmarks are marked on the Aerial of Competition Site with Landmarks Labeled [pdf] (more projections available on the Documents & Images page).

FDR Park: This park, located off Pattison Avenue and Broad Street, was part of the grounds of the Sesquicentennial in 1926. Remnants of the celebration still remain, from the American Swedish Historical Museum to the boathouse and gazebo on Meadow Lake. For more information, visit:

Sports Stadium District: Since the 1926 Sesquicentennial Celebration, for which the Philadelphia Municipal Stadium (later JFK Stadium, now demolished) was built, the area around Broad Street and Pattison Avenue has been the hub of Philadelphia’s major sports venues. This area currently hosts all four major sports franchises. Citizens Bank Park is home to Phillies; Lincoln Financial Field is home to the Eagles; The Wachovia Center is home to the Flyers and 76ers. The Spectrum is slated to be demolished in the very near future, and replaced by the Philly LIVE complex, a mixed-use entertainment project. The Broad Street Subway line terminates at the Stadium District. For more information, visit:

Fort Mifflin: This fort, built in 1771, was integral to the defense of Philadelphia during the Revolutionary War. It remains one of Philadelphia’s most important historical assets from that period. Fort Mifflin occupies the southwestern-most portion of the 2010 Competition Site Area. For more information on its history and role in the Revolution, visit:

Philadelphia Navy Yard: This massive complex was a hub of Naval shipbuilding and innovation from the Civil War to 1995. Commercial shipbuilding remains to a limited degree, but most of the site has been recently redeveloped as a commercial and office complex, with a master plan by Robert A.M. Stern, Architects. Today, the Navy Yard includes facilities for manufacturing and research, and the headquarters of companies like Urban Outfitters and the Tasty Baking Company. For more information, visit:

Philadelphia Regional Produce Market: This facility has served as a food wholesale center for over 50 years. It will soon move to a new, modern facility on Essington Avenue in Southwest Philadelphia. For more information, visit:

I-95: I-95, or The Delaware Expressway, rings the southern and eastern edges of the Competition Site area. For more on its construction and history, visit:

phillyroads.com/roads/delaware

I-76: Also known as the Schuylkill Expressway, I-76 establishes the northern boundary of the Competition Site area. For more on its construction and history, visit:

phillyroads.com/roads/schuylkill

Walt Whitman Bridge: The Walt Whitman Bridge is at the northeast corner of the Competition Site area. For more on its construction and history, visit:

phillyroads.com/crossings/walt-whitman

Objective

The 5th Annual Ed Bacon Student Design Competition asks entrants to develop innovative designs for an international exposition in celebration of America’s 250th anniversary to be held in Philadelphia in 2026. Entrants should examine the questions of what an international expo looks like in the 21st century, how large-scale celebrations can be long-term beneficial for their host city, and what role this type of event plays in sustainable urban development.

Design Challenges

The following design challenges are intended to guide thought and investigation. Entrants may choose one or several as the focus of their approach:

The 21st Century Fair: This celebration provides the opportunity to examine, question, and rethink the traditional World’s Fair model. Shanghai is currently undertaking the challenge of redefining the international expo, though organizers are receiving hefty financial backing from the Chinese government. Grand conventions and festivals show the value and desire amongst the citizenry to physically congregate in one central locality, but perhaps technological advances make doing so less important. Updating the fair for the 21st century is a central challenge of the competition.
Geography: A second challenge is how to approach such a large, heterogeneous site. The site has a lot to offer — abundant river frontage, connectivity for multiple modes of transportation, and varied redevelopment opportunities. However, while this site has much potential, its sheer size and the range of existing uses are daunting. Teams must be realistic about the potential for their vision to be implemented over the 15-year timeline.
Top-Down vs. Ground-Up Planning: Part of the failure of 1976 was the rift between the planners and the general public. The Bicentennial planning was often seen as top-down and not representative of neighborhoods and the city’s racial and socioeconomic shifts. Designers must consider how the design will reflect the city’s people, heritage, and communities. What does such a design look like, and how do we collectively work towards it? How collaborative will the process be? Similarly, how will the programming of the competition affect its final physical form?
The Catalytic Centennial: In taking on the challenge of hosting USA250, how will the city update its infrastructure to both accommodate the anticipated influx of visitors, and mitigate negative externalities on its citizens? How will preparations for 2026 affect the regional transit network, waterfront accessibility, housing, and open spaces?
The Focus of the Fair: Will this fair be simply a party? Will it focus on the nation’s technology (as in the traditional world’s fair)? Will it include sports, music, culture? What message does it convey about America’s outlook and relationship within a global context. It will be critical, in designing the fair, to determine what the fair is about and what events/attractions it will include. Entrants are required to include a Mission Statement, thus setting their own goals for their entry. The Mission provides a framework for the design, and expresses the central theme of the vision upon which its execution will be judged.
Temporary vs. Permanent: At the 1876 Centennial Exhibition, many buildings were only temporarily erected to absorb the people and activities of the fair — and soon dismantled thereafter. How the idea of impermanence is approached will affect the final visual look of the celebration, and can affect its scope of investment, cost, and long-term impact. In recent times, the success of each Olympics is judged more so by its lasting impact on the host city than on the fortnight of athletic competition. How will USA250 leave its lasting mark on Philadelphia? Or will it?
Neighborhoods: Philadelphia is a city of neighborhoods, a conglomeration of localities each with its own contribution to the overarching historical narrative of the metropolis, and each with a narrative of its own. As was shown in 1976, neighborhood territorialism greatly shaped the challenges of planning the Bicentennial. It is clear that the celebration of USA250 must harness the diverse and varied creative energies of each neighborhood.
Connectivity: Just outside the perimeter of the competition site area are multiple challenging industrial/post-industrial sites, most notably the Sunoco Oil Refineries along the Lower Schuylkill River. Also of special interest is the immediate proximity of the Philadelphia International Airport, and more industrial activity along Lindbergh Boulevard. These adjacent sites could potentially be redeveloped at some point in the future. How will the plans for USA250 connect to and interact with the nearby industrial sites and lay the foundation for a major rethinking of industrial sites in the more distant future?

Program Elements

Successful entries will achieve the following objectives:

Imagine an innovative and visionary concept for celebrating America’s 250th anniversary in 2026 through an international exposition in Philadelphia.
Develop a Mission Statement to provide focus to the design, and achieve the goals expressed in the Mission.
Create sustainable urban design solutions, focusing on the 21st century redevelopment of a large-scale industrial landscape.
Address the infrastructural and physical improvements, whether temporary or permanent, to service the celebration.
Develop a design that can accommodate the needs of an international exposition, and that will leave a lasting mark on Philadelphia.
Focus on connectivity with the rest of Philadelphia and the region.
Demonstrate an understanding of Philadelphia’s history attempting similar celebrations and fairs, and incorporate the lessons of that history to inform the design of USA250.
Develop a compelling, highly visual proposal.