PHL Conservation Zone

Conservation districts are special-purpose organizations created by state governments to coordinate the preservation of soil, water, and other natural resources. They exist in 66 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, except one: Philadelphia.

The Overbrook Environmental Education Center plans to create a conservation district in Philadelphia, offering services specific to the needs of the Commonwealth’s largest city. Such services may include:

• Implementing administrative zoning overlays that repair the historical harms caused by industrial and commercially zoned land existing in close proximity to residential neighborhoods.
• Serving as the center of expertise for local stakeholders invested in urban land conservation, urban agriculture, and community-based land revitalization.
• Building a new generation of environmental leaders through innovative urban environmental education and outreach. 
• Preserving valuable land for the benefit of the community, not developers and investors.