Green Infrastructure Plan for Camden Waterfront South

PROJECT PROFILE: Green Infrastructure and Placemaking Plan
Greening Camden Waterfront South

About

Camden's Waterfront South is a federal and state historic district located in the southwestern part of the city along the banks of the Delaware River. The neighborhood has seen issues of flooding in part due to increased impervious cover and their combined sewer-stormwater system (CSS). When not maintained properly, this system can become backed up, discharging a combination of stormwater and harmful sewage in events of severe rainfall. Rowan University has partnered with the Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority (CCMUA) to create a neighborhood-wide green infrastructure plan to reduce the amount of discharge from the CSS and improve the condition of existing parks and green spaces. As community engagement and feedback is critical in the planning process, meetings and interviews with community members and professionals were conducted to obtain information on which areas in the neighborhood were experiencing the worst flooding, initial feedback on proposed GSI projects, and the overall concerns of community members. Two public meetings, two focus groups, and in-depth interviews were conducted to allow for the acquisition of information from stakeholders.

Click here to read or download the Final Plan

Project Team

Rowan University

Mahbubur Meenar, PhD, Principal Investigator, Assistant Professor—Geography, Planning, & Sustainability (project administration; community engagement)
Meghan Wren, Assistant Project Manager (event management, community engagement)
Megan Bucknum, Lecturer—Geography, Planning, & Sustainability (oral history; focus group facilitation)
Ted Howell, PhD, Lecturer—Writing Arts (photo collage workshop facilitation)
Jennifer Kitson, PhD, Assistant Professor—Geography, Planning, & Sustainability (oral history)
Devon Moulton, Giavanni Rizzo, and Cassandra Rodriguez, Student Assistants—Geography, Planning, & Sustainability

Consultant

Susan Harris, Cerulean LLC

Community Partners

Donna Helmes, Carlos Morales—Heart of Camden

Cassie Macdonald—Camden Fireworks

This project is primarily funded by CCMUA, with support from a Rowan University SEED Grant on inclusion and diversity, 2018-2019.

Any questions? Please send an email to meenar@rowan.edu

Project Area

The Waterfront South neighborhood has just over 1,200 residents in less than 500 households is the host of the wastewater treatment plant, the Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority (CCMUA), for the entire county of over 500,000 people. It is also home to an assortment of inefficiently located port and warehouse facilities that generate a large number of heavy truck trips through the area. With the addition of heavy manufacturing, licorice and gypsum production and a range of additional light industrial uses, it created a toxic environment for the residents living in the neighborhood and caused health issues. The residents have been experiencing environmental injustice for several decades.