Philadelphia is known for its historic streets and iconic landmarks, but few public institutions are as vital to our city’s civic life as Fairmount Park. Stretching across more than 2,000 acres of rivers, woodlands, and meadows, it is more than a place to jog, picnic, or enjoy nature. It is a civic commons where democracy happens in real time, every day.

Across the U.S., city neighborhoods are divided by income, neighborhood, and opportunity. Parks, on the other hand, are among the few places where people can gather freely, on equal terms.

As I travel Philadelphia’s parks, neighborhood by neighborhood, I am observing visitors sharing benches, playgrounds, and trails as they negotiate space and spend time engaged in the most fundamental social and democratic practice: coexisting. 

They make space for each other. They ask for directions. They return errant soccer balls and share sleds. They nod, smile, and sometimes wave. They strike up conversation. 

I believe these everyday interactions shape civic life because they embrace tolerance, equity, and shared responsibility. On Election Day we cast a vote in private, and hope our values are expressed in public by those elected.

Park stewards like Fairmount Park Conservancy live these values out loud and in public. How we plan and manage, and how we design and program each park says who is invited to use public space. That work is an expression of the Conservancy’s values.

Fairmount Park has also long been a platform for expression. Cultural events, community gatherings, and informal public assemblies bring people together, celebrate diverse traditions, and provide space to speak, listen, and connect. These are not mere pastimes but building blocks of civic engagement, fostering connections that strengthen neighborhoods and our city as a whole.

To fully realize this potential, we must be intentional about inclusion and access. Historically, some neighborhoods have had less connection to the park and less say in how it is used. Today, we have the opportunity to ensure that every Philadelphian—regardless of zip code, income, or background—enjoys their park and helps shape it. From stewardship programs to community-led cultural events and open dialogues, we can animate the park as a living forum for civic life.

In West Fairmount Park’s Centennial District, Fairmount Park Conservancy has had the privilege of working with community members to reimagine this landscape to be more accessible and communal. Between 2016 and 2022, the Parkside Edge project established areas designed for gathering and passive recreation, complemented by pedestrian improvements to make the adjoining Parkside Avenue less of a barrier between neighbors and their park. 

Our next undertaking will follow in this tradition on a larger scale by restoring the John Welsh Memorial in front of Memorial Hall, built in the 19th century to commemorate the 1876 Centennial Exhibition. Decades ago, the memorial’s fountain – like so many water features in city parks – was a popular meeting point for neighbors. Picture the gravitational pull today of the Singing Fountain Square in South Philadelphia, or the fountains in Rittenhouse Park, Dilworth Park, Eakins Oval, and Logan Square in Center City. 

In 2023 the Conservancy kicked off a community engagement campaign inviting community members to “reimagine the Welsh Fountain.” The resulting designs, released last summer, not only propose to restore water to the fountain but also envision gardens, public art, and comfortable seating laid out to invite both reflection and connection. 

Interpretive signs in the new Welsh Fountain Gardens will tell the site’s story from many perspectives – recognizing the indigenous Lenape people who first lived in the region, exploring gendered and racial patterns of exclusion in the Centennial Exhibition, and celebrating the more recent past and future of the adjoining Parkside neighborhood. These elements remind us to continually ask: whose stories are told in our public landscapes? 

The Conservancy is now raising funds for Welsh Fountain Gardens – recently bolstered by a $2.1 million grant from the state – with the goal of breaking ground this fall.

Democracy is not just about institutions; it is also about the spaces we share. Fairmount Park reminds us that civic engagement, community, and belonging are spatial as well as political. When residents feel ownership of public spaces, they strengthen the bonds that hold a city together.

Investing in Fairmount Park as a place for connection, dialogue, and shared experience is an investment in Philadelphia itself. In its trees, trails, and open lawns, and pickleball, basketball and tennis courts, in its swing sets and sliding boards, we find beauty and recreation and a place where democracy is practiced, every day, by all of us.

Tony Sorrentino is the Chief Executive Officer of Fairmount Park Conservancy. To learn more about the Welsh Fountain Gardens, visit our project page.