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In Common: 6 ways Philly can create more equitable, imaginative and inviting public spaces
I was lucky enough to spend 2018 writing the In Common series, exploring the ways civic spaces across Philly are changing, each aiming to build a stronger, more inclusive city. We’ll…
With Dilworth and Love Park remade for leisure, Paine Plaza redo is a chance to save a space for protest
Thomas Paine Plaza, the public space outside the Municipal Services Building, is so unremarkable that you’d be forgiven for not knowing its name. But you might recognize it by the bronze…
Knight Foundation funds citywide conversation about park over I-95
A newly funded citywide public engagement campaign will be designed to give all Philadelphians a chance to shape plans for a new waterfront park over I-95 at Penn's Landing, project officials said…
Philadelphia police want to turn street corners into career launch pads
People hanging out on the corner are often stigmatized as hoodlums or miscreants, but Philadelphia police officer G. Lamar Stewart sees something more “I see kings; I see queens. I see…
Taking ‘panes’ to overhaul Philly visitors center in LOVE Park
Philadelphia’s 1960s-era visitors center near City Hall, known as “the spaceship” because of its shape, has been more of an eyesore for about a year as it’s redesigned as part of …
Philly Free Streets: Enjoyed by walkers, cyclists, beach lovers — but not drivers
Cyclists, walkers, children and dogs were happy to take over the four-lane expanse of North Broad Street during Philly Free Streets on Saturday. The event, in its third year, is a…
A walking tour of North Broad, ahead of this year's Philly Free Streets event
Many organizations and people are behind this year’s Philly Free Streets event. The city goes “car free” on Broad Street from City Hall all the way up to Butler Avenue in…
Philly Free Streets, Part 3, moves to North Broad on Aug. 11
Philadelphia is shutting down North Broad Street, Saturday, August 11, to show off the major artery. This third edition of Philly Free Streets will close the street to cars from 8…
Philly hospitality industry doesn’t want Jay-Z’s MIA to go MIA
Mayors get criticized all the time, but it’s not every day the critic is a billionaire rap mogul. In an op-ed for the Inquirer and Daily News, rapper Jay-Z…
Brainstorming how to make an Old City park as welcoming as its surroundings
The corner of Second and Market streets in Old City is laden with history. As Philadelphia’s original civic center, the neighboring block was the site of the city’s first town hall…
Afrofuturism and the new era for Sharswood's North Philly Peace Park
There’s a tidy way to tell the story of North Philly Peace Park -- as a project that has unfolded in three acts: the past, the present, and the future. After…
Inspired by Philly's neighborhoods, landscape architect Walter Hood is changing how cities design public spaces
For a non-archaeologist, Walter Hood has a prodigious habit of exhuming history. He shakes the dust off old blueprints. He revives images and recollections embedded in the collective memory of places…
In Cobbs Creek, a home for the dead gets new life
A cemetery with a long, remarkable past – which, unfortunately, included periods of neglect and deterioration – is working on a new plan for a long, sustainable future. Mount Moriah Cemetery,…
Final design phase begins for riverfront park in Bridesburg
Tucked away behind a parking lot filled with yellow school buses and a busy metal recycling facility along the Delaware River in Bridesburg, there is a rutted, weed-strewn 10-acre lot. It…
Between Two Planters: Longtime practitioners discuss transforming urban spaces in Philadelphia
Planners, public utilities fans, and curious residents packed WHYY’s studios Wednesday to discuss the transformation of urban spaces in Philadelphia. PIDC's Prema Gupta, the Philadelphia Land Bank's Angel Rodriguez,…
NFL Draft turns Parkway into privatized 'brandscape' and backdrop
By now you've heard about or experienced the inconvenient road closures around the Benjamin Franklin Parkway thanks to the NFL Draft. It's a hassle. But that's not what Community Contributor Kevin…
Street Dreams: How regular citizens beat bureaucracy to reshape Philadelphia
In Philadelphia, many of the pedestrian, bicycle, and recreational amenities we appreciate were born from resident-driven ideas. In this feature PlanPhilly and SPOKE explore what it takes for citizen-driven projects to…
April 29: Privatizing Franklin Square | Spruce Street Harbor Park returns | The case for a new flag
Should Philly consider replacing the city flag? Writing about a new flag proposal in Milwaukee, Linda Poon says flag redesign movements are sprouting up all over the U.S. to replace flags…
April 13: Tacony waterfront trail | Developers revaluing public space | Hope for La Finquita
With Election Day right around the corner, the Inquirer editorial board says Philly's Harrisburg delegation could use more competitive primaries. "These races could shake up the delegation a little, but…
October 15: New free ride-hailing service | River Ward neighbors vs. drug dealers | Suspiciously large pilot houses
The Spirit of the River Wards is running a series on the places most affected by drug dealing and crime, many still in "nice" parts of the area. Here's the story…
