About

The Mantua Greenway is a resident-driven bike and walking trail in West Philadelphia that is revitalizing a mile-long stretch of Mantua Avenue and North 40th Street. The community trail creates a safe and beautiful corridor that honors the culture and people of the Mantua neighborhood. Spaces with eye-catching flowers and sustainable landscaping along the Greenway provide opportunities to work, play, and connect.

HISTORY: Community-Driven from the Start

Tired of staring at railroad tracks and overgrown weeds out her window, longtime Mantua resident Ms. Bessie Washington took matters into her own hands. In 2011, she planted a colorful memorial garden to honor her parents on the 3500 block of Mantua Avenue. At that time, hundreds in the community were working together to create the We Are Mantua! (WAM!) Neighborhood Transformation Plan, a blueprint of resident needs and priorities. Several community members took notice of Bessie’s creation and began to work together to develop a full revitalization of Mantua Avenue as part of the broader neighborhood plan. Since then, the Friends of the Mantua Greenway have convened community members and stakeholders to make this vision of a beautiful community trail into a reality. Along with hosting clean-ups to maintain the neighborhood streets, residents have engaged architects, city planners, funders, and city and state agencies, while leading the design, finance, and construction of the Mantua Greenway.
See the Timeline of the Mantua Greenway Project

WHO’S INVOLVED

THE FRIENDS GROUP

The Friends of the Mantua Greenway are working together with love, respect, and commitment to preserve and beautify Mantua. Our goal is to make Mantua a safer and welcoming community in which everyone is encouraged to participate. JOIN THE MANTUA GREENWAY FRIENDS GROUP

Executive Team Members

President: Bessie Washington
Vice-President: Angela “Pinky” Lindsay
Secretary: Rebecca Rose
Treasurer: DeWayne Drummond

Project Team

Friends of the Mantua Greenway
Mt. Vernon Manor CDC
We Are Mantua!
Philadelphia Local Initiatives Support Corporation
Philadelphia City Planning Commission
Philadelphia Department of Commerce
Philadelphia Water Department

Steering Committee

All Project Team Members
AMTRAK
Belmont Alliance Civic Association
Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia
Centennial Parkside Community Development Corporation
Councilwoman Jannie L. Blackwell
Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission
East Parkside Residents Association
Fairmount Park Conservancy
Get Healthy Philly
Mantua Civic Association
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Philadelphia Office of Transportation & Infrastructure Systems
Philadelphia Parks and Recreation
Philadelphia Streets Department
Philadelphia Zoo
SEPTA
The Trust for Public Land
Whitman, Requardt and Associates, LLP (WRA)

Funders

National Park Service
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development
Philadelphia City Planning Commission
Philadelphia Department of Commerce
Philadelphia Local Initiatives Support Corporation
Philadelphia Water Department
William Penn Foundation