Vision Planning and Consulting (VPC) facilitated its first meeting in the City of Philadelphia for Phase 2 of the Pennsylvania Historic Museums Commission’s (PHMC) Disaster Planning for Historic Properties Initiative. VPC Team members presented to the Philadelphia Flood Task Force, comprised of members of several different City departments, a detailed overview of the project, including: Phase I background; GIS analysis methodology; architectural analysis and building selection criteria and process; goals and objectives; plan integration efforts; hazard mitigation action development; and incorporation of cultural resources into Philadelphia’s 2016 Hazard Mitigation Plan.
VPC Team members presented the GIS analysis and methodology for vulnerable historic properties. After identifying historically-significant areas and properties in the 100-year floodplain, such as Boathouse Row, Manayunk, and Fort Mifflin, a flood depth for each structure was calculated to determine flood risk, via inundation heights and damage percentages.
The VPC Team explained the selection criteria for representative properties: flood risk, building type, architectural style, current condition, current use, and location.The City Flood Task Force then participated in a goals and objectives exercise.
Property selections will be presented at the second round of City meetings, in the Spring of 2018, with a focus on mitigation action development.
VPC will continue to coordinate and work closely with PHMC and the Philadelphia Flood Task Force to create the most effective and feasible preservation-based hazard mitigation solutions. VPC will develop a mitigation strategy for the individual selected properties, and for the different building typologies common throughout the City. VPC will also develop holistic mitigation strategies for the historic districts that contain clusters of properties identified as vulnerable.
