April 24: AT&T fortress | Rebuild and ‘privatization’ | State of Center City

Inga Saffron makes the case for more understanding about the “architectural Darth Vader” at the South Street Bridge, Ewing Cole’s AT&T telecommunications fortress.

As PlanPhilly reported earlier this month, Council President Darrell Clarke still has concerns about Rebuild being a path to privatization, while the administration argues that fear is based in a misunderstanding, reports Tricia Nadolny.

City & State PA reports the Public Utility Commission has updated regulations aimed to help the taxi industry compete with ride-hailing companies. Among the changes: “removing the requirement to show a public need before being authorized to enter into the market; establishing flexible tariffs to allow motor carrier companies to operate their businesses in real time; requiring motor carrier companies to update their fleets; and eliminating the restriction on owner-operated taxis.”

In an Inquirer editorial, Center City District’s Paul Levy describe’s the State of Center City as healthy by many measures, but cautions that the city’s recent growth is comparatively very slow. What to do? As Levy has long advised: change the “antiquated tax structure that still underfunds schools, adds a 20 percent to 30 percent premium to the cost of doing business in the city, compared to the suburbs, and leaves 400,000 residents in poverty? It’s certainly no time to look to federal or state government for more. We know what success looks like. It’s time to spread the benefits citywide.”

A new mixed-use project in the Netherlands is decorated by bands of concrete emoticons in the façade. Architizer reports there’s scant detail about the architect’s team. Architectural atrocity or amusement?