City and private planning officials last night unveiled an “action plan” to turn 500 acres of vacant lots, desolate schoolyards and derelict parks into revitalized green space.

Green2015: An Action Plan for the First 500 Acres is the result of cooperation between the city and PennPraxis, the hands-on branch of the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Design. It’s ambitious and expensive, although the city maintains that the costs will be kept low thanks to private and community partnerships and the fact that many of the sites under consideration will be relatively easy to green-up.

The idea is to create green space where there isn’t much, particularly for the 200,000 or so Philadelphians who live further than a 10-minute walk from a public park. A caveat: These spaces won’t necessarily be turned into “parks.” Some will be spruced up school playgrounds, for example. Many are an acre or less.

The city is inviting citizen feedback here.

Here are some “opportunity sites” in West Philly that the plan mentions:

• Walnut Hill Community Park and Farm (pictured left). This project on a quarter-acre lot near 46th and Market is actually already underway and will include a pocket park and an urban garden (p. 79).

Green 2015

Diners and pedestrians at the McDonald’s at 40th and Walnut Streets felt the wrath of PETA first-hand at lunchtime today when a pink stretch Hummer limo unloaded a small chanting, dancing troupe of little people dressed as chickens (and one had a mustache) at the restaurant to protest suppliers’ treatment of chickens.

Each of the four performers chanted, “Cluck you McDonald’s, I’m not a nugget” while other protesters held up signs. One even did a robot dance to the loud music coming from a boom box sitting on the sidewalk. Similar protests have been done in New York, including one at a McDonald’s on Times Square.

The Spruce Hill Community Association recently hung the receipts for voting in their precinct in organization’s front window at 257 South 45th St. Voters in West Philadelphia went overwhelmingly for Democrats Joe Sestak and Dan Onorato for U.S. Senate and Pennsylvania governor respectively. Both men lost, of course, in the November 2 election.

West Philadelphia business owner Debbi Ramsey and her Natural Wellness Spa were featured on FOX29 last night in a story about the red tape small businesses must go through to become a business.

The remnants of one of last winter’s storms on 44th St. near Spruce.

A bill is in the Philadelphia City Council that would require building owners to shovel a wider path through sidewalk snow. Bill 100752, now in the Streets and Services committee, would require a 36-inch path (versus the current 30-inch path that is the current law) within six hours of the end of the snowfall.

The bill follows one of the snowiest winters in decades – a winter so snowy that restaurants and bar owners offered drastic price cuts for those who ventured out for a pint and a burger.

Councilwoman Donna Miller is sponsoring the bill, which would presumably make it easier for wheelchairs, baby strollers and people walking by each other to get by on the sidewalks in the event of deep snow.

Here is a link to the bill.

The University City District and officials from the 18th Police District are holding a meeting to update residents on a recent increase in street crime in the Garden Court and Spruce Hill neighborhoods. The meeting will take place Thursday, Nov. 11 at 7:00 p.m. at the Calvary Center (48th and Baltimore) in the chapel.

Several muggings, some at gunpoint, have occurred in recent weeks. Three muggings went down within a few hours on 48th Street on October 25. A fairly detailed rundown (as detailed as one can get in 140 characters or less) is available at the Twitter feed of an 18th District police officer.  For example: Be on the lookout: tan/silver 2004 Nissan Altima pa tag:HGP3654. Used in 3 robberies tonight. Targeting 48th St. Others have occurred near 46th and Chester and the 4500 block of Regent.

It is important to report any crime to the police so they can, hopefully, devote more resources to problem areas. At the very least report them to the University City District, which can be done by e-mail, so that they can send bike patrol officers to these areas.