Demolitions would fray the city’s fabric

In his novel The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen noted the “industrial decay of Philadelphia, the rotting enchantments of the Workshop of the World, the survival of mega ruins in micro times.” Nine years later, the description remains poignantly accurate, and it likely will be for years to come. We simply have more ruins than resources, and the often enchanting presence of the past gives Philadelphia its authenticity and sense of place.