Interface Studio

    Cramer Hill NOW! Neighborhood Plan and Waterfront Park Plan

    Cramer Hill, Camden, NJ

    Cramer Hill, a geographically and socially distinct neighborhood in Camden, has been through many planning processes over the years, most exploring large-scale redevelopment scenarios. Many plans left residents wondering whether their more immediate concerns with the neighborhood, including crime, regular flooding, poor road conditions, lack of open space stewardship, and the effects of highly visible vacancy, among others, would ever be addressed by a neighborhood plan.

    Building on the 2003 resident-driven neighborhood visioning process, Cramer Hill Tomorrow, Cramer Hill NOW! identifies a range of goals and recommendations dedicated to achieving this vision not just in the long-term but NOW! The Cramer Hill community embraced Cramer Hill NOW! because it addresses the community’s quality of life concerns, recommending real and achievable improvements that could be made by agents of change who are already working within the community, including residents, church groups, neighborhood groups, and community-based non-profits such as the project’s client, Cramer Hill CDC. Building from the NOW! strategies, the plan envisions long-term development that ties into the existing neighborhood fabric and takes advantage of its many assets, including an expansive waterfront and proximity to major transportation routes, without displacing residents. Cramer Hill NOW! is the neighborhood master plan component of a three-part planning process that also included a waterfront park plan and a human capital plan. The end result was a seamless, comprehensive and unified vision for the future of Cramer Hill.

    Client: Cramer Hill CDC
    Project Team: Wilson Associates, Inc.

    Community volunteers help to improve Cramer Hill NOW! by building a new community garden on a vacant lot.
    Community volunteers help to improve Cramer Hill NOW! by building a new community garden on a vacant lot.
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    The plan's branding and public awareness campaign made its message clear.
    The plan's branding and public awareness campaign made its message clear.
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    Intended as a blueprint to guide development well into Cramer Hill's future, the General Framework Plan proposes the reclamation of its two valuable waterfronts in a highly environmentally sensitive manner and with no displacement of existing residents.
    Intended as a blueprint to guide development well into Cramer Hill's future, the General Framework Plan proposes the reclamation of its two valuable waterfronts in a highly environmentally sensitive manner and with no displacement of existing residents.
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    The plan set forth a trail and bike path framework that would link the neighborhood to other trail planning efforts, improve access to transit, and improve open space connections.
    The plan set forth a trail and bike path framework that would link the neighborhood to other trail planning efforts, improve access to transit, and improve open space connections.
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    Cramer Hill NOW! sets forth a range of programs and improvements that the motivated and dedicated residents can take on themselves to improve quality of life in the neighborhood.
    Cramer Hill NOW! sets forth a range of programs and improvements that the motivated and dedicated residents can take on themselves to improve quality of life in the neighborhood.
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    Infill development opportunities were identified as a part of the short-term housing strategy.
    Infill development opportunities were identified as a part of the short-term housing strategy.
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    A long-term vision for the intersection of State Street and River Avenue proposes mixed use, mixed income redevelopment and balanced streets (top left) where there is now an expanse of vacant land and dated public housing (bottom).
    A long-term vision for the intersection of State Street and River Avenue proposes mixed use, mixed income redevelopment and balanced streets (top left) where there is now an expanse of vacant land and dated public housing (bottom).
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    Proposed improvements for State Street seek to create an urban spine that connects potential development along the Cooper River with the community.
    Proposed improvements for State Street seek to create an urban spine that connects potential development along the Cooper River with the community.
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    One of the many improvements proposed for Von Neida Park, Cramer Hill's main open space, is to use rain gardens and swales to collect rainwater that at present submerges the major roads running through the park even after a minor bout of rain.
    One of the many improvements proposed for Von Neida Park, Cramer Hill's main open space, is to use rain gardens and swales to collect rainwater that at present submerges the major roads running through the park even after a minor bout of rain.
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    Cramer Hill NOW! identified a number of opportunities for short-term improvements that could catalyze commercial development. The concentration of these tactics at strategic locations seek to improve River Avenue's image and market position.
    Cramer Hill NOW! identified a number of opportunities for short-term improvements that could catalyze commercial development. The concentration of these tactics at strategic locations seek to improve River Avenue's image and market position.
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