Articles
In Praise of Civic Horticulture
As University of Pennsylvania professor David Brownlee set the stage for last Friday's Civic Horticulture Conference, jointly presented by The Cultural Landscape Foundation and the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society, audience members couldn't…
May 23-June 30: Hidden City Festival to illuminate overlooked sites citywide
Starting Thursday, and running for the next six weeks, the 2013 Hidden City Festival offers unique opportunities to explore places in the city through the lens of engaging artwork. For this…
As Philly land bank momentum slows, proponents want administration to take lead
Political progress on Philadelphia’s proposed land bank - which many advocates see as central to solving the vacancy and property tax delinquency crises - has ground to a near halt in…
Four Philly projects awarded ArtPlace America grants
Of the 54 creative placemaking projects awarded 2013-2014 ArtPlace America grants today, four went to Philly organizations planning to use art as a tool to activate public spaces and arts-based community…
May 20-24: Lantern House | Primary Day | Delaware Valley Modernism | Paine's Park opening
Wondering what's on tap this week? You can tour an award-winning stable-turned-live/work-space, celebrate Philly's new public space for skating, and learn about the misfits of modernism. And, don't forget to vote…
Look Up! The “concrete castles” of Doylestown
Henry Mercer was a great collector, but also an architect with a singular vision. “Look Up!” is a PlanPhilly feature that encourages appreciation of our architectural and historical environment. The…
May 20: Parks Roundup: Paine's Park praise | Mother Bethel AME burial ground below Weccacoe Playground | Improved Pleasant Hill Park | Ralph Brooks Park renovations planned
Welcome to the working week, Streeters. We’ve got a roundup of park-related news to kick off your Monday: Skateboarders and casual park visitors are invited to commingle at Paine’s Park, Philadelphia’s…
Nicetown building project kicks off with demolition pep-rally event
The latest step in a unique building project in Nicetown will involve a 350-year-old French company, about 120 alternative high-school students and two long-vacant houses on Wingohocking Street. Also in that…
PennDOT to rebuild hidden Broad Street bridge
Many Philadelphians have driven over one of the city’s structurally deficient spans countless times and not even known it was a bridge. But when imminent construction begins to disrupt traffic over…
From Above: Refining along the Lower Schuylkill, 1926
In honor of the Lower Schuylkill Master Plan’s [pdf] release earlier this month, we head back into the past to look at a section of the Lower Schuylkill from above.…
State Senator drafting anti-SLAPP legislation after civic group's demise
State Senator Larry Farnese says he'll introduce legislation in Harrisburg making it easier for groups subject to intimidating SLAPP lawsuits to have the cases dismissed or recover legal costs after the…
May 17-19: Barnes Foundation anniversary | Trenton Ave Arts Fest | Clark Park Party | Parkwood Farmers' Market | Brewerytown, Rittenhouse and Italian Market festivals | Dinner and Bikes with Elly Blue
Clear your calendars Streeters. We've got a jam packed weekend of festivals, farmers markets and food planned for you. ANNIVERSARY Barnes Foundation First Anniversary Party Friday, May 17, 6 p.m. -…
May 17: Sheriff's Office can't track funds | SEPTA delays budget votes | Squilla wants community group protection | Nutter sets $31M aside for firefighters' arbitration | 3rd Ward opens
Happy Friday Streeters! The Philadelphia Sheriff's Office doesn't have an accounting system despite the fact that tens of millions of dollars flow through the office annually and that the office has…
KieranTimberlake's renovation of Ortlieb Bottling House underway
We know the Philadelphia firm KieranTimberlake for its high-minded contemporary design projects - from universities across the country to the future US Embassy in London - and these days they’re crafting…
May 16: SEPTA considers reduced fare hike | 5 charters renewed | Nutter proposes cigarette and drink tax | Council absent for budget hearings | First responders sue Conrail | Lawrence O'Toole photos
Good morning Eyes! Here's what's making the news this Thursday. SEPTA's Board will consider a slight reduction in its proposed fare hikes, the Inquirer reports this morning. The reduction would…
Zoning board to rule on variances for Canal Street North after marathon hearing
First impression of Julia Chapman, the new chair of the city’s Zoning Board of Adjustment: she is a patient woman. Chapman, a former aide to Mayor Michael Nutter in the early…
YouthBuild Philadelphia begins green renovation of two Nicetown homes
Just months after overhauling a dilapidated Germantown house and turning it into a LEED Platinum home, YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School students broke ground on two homes just across the tracks at…
In Conversation With: Greg Heller on Ed Bacon and his legacy
On the eve of the official launch of Ed Bacon: Planning, Politics, and the Building of Modern Phiadelphia (University of Penn Press), author Greg Heller chatted with PlanPhilly's JoAnn Greco about…
Meet Chinatown's new parklet
This weekend Chinatown celebrated the opening of its very own parklet, which adds a new pedestrian amenity along the busy 10th Street corridor. After a false start in April, Philadelphia Chinatown…
