Atlantic Cities: Eyesore Solution of the Day: Vegetation Decorations for Construction Fences

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Few things muck up a public sidewalk like construction fences -- they're awkward, awfully colored (seriously, who chose that neon orange?), and you're stuck looking at them every day.

Well, Philadelphia's University City District as a solution for that. They've developed "custom-designed, reusable, modular planter walls filled with lush plantings" that cover up construction fencing, creating a downright pleasant experience where once there was just a line of pedestrians and the sound of a jackhammer.

As landscape architect Nate Hommel explains in an email to me:

We worked with a local industrial designer to develop modular planter walls that sit in front of a construction fence and can be reused at additional construction sites in the future.

Already, 12 were installed in the University City neighborhood, where construction on the 30th Street Station is taking place.

Click here for original article, photos, and a diagram.