Approach

Green City Works is unique in Philadelphia’s landscaping sector, as it integrates UCD's expertise in designing, building and maintaining the public realm with its investments in University City’s local economy and human capital through the West Philadelphia Skills Initiative. Our approach to landscaping and our impact on the economy is what sets us apart:

  • Green City Works guarantees high quality, reliable, competitive landscaping services while creating local economic opportunity for underserved residents.  
  • Green City Works is housed within University City District, a non-profit organization that is explicitly devoted to the vitality and beautification of the community.  
  • Green City Works is built on UCD’s unique competencies in designing, creating and stewarding public space, with a focus on creative placemaking and tactical urbanism. UCD is nationally known for creating The Porch at 30th Street, a beautiful Philadelphia public space that is now maintained by Green City Works. 
  • As a home-grown, University City business, Green City Works brings local talent to an industry that has traditionally relied heavily on a non-local workforce.  
  • Operating in a Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) with proximity to the Schuylkill River, a critical Philadelphia watershed, Green City Works deploys landscaping techniques that are sensitive to our environmental surroundings. The company never uses chemical fertilizers, produces and uses compost created from local organic waste at UCD’s Dirt Factory, plants native perennials that thrive year-round, and sources materials from local growers and producers.