In Common: Bethel Burying Ground memorial to advance in 2019, creating learning opportunity for the living at Weccacoe Playground
Our 2018 series about Philly's changing public spaces concludes in Queen Village where a new memorial is being developed to honor…
Safer streets within reach in 2019
A veteran Philadelphia journalist once joked to me that a plan in Philadelphia is like raindrops in a storm. I’ve often…
Feeling all the holiday feels on Olney’s thriving 5th Street corridor
Eleven year-old Addison Sullivan came for the toys. But by the time he left North 5th Street Revitalization Project’s Annual Winter…
In Common: At rejuvenated Logan Library, room for the noisy joy of teenage kicks
Next up in our 2018 series about Philly's changing public spaces, Ashley Hahn checks out what’s welcoming neighborhood teens back to…
Philadelphia doesn't need Amazon. The opportunities are already here and they're homegrown.
Philadelphia does not need Jeff Bezos’ endorsement to affirm that we have neighborhoods both of great need and great potential. Nor…
Inside Frank Furness’ hidden masterpiece
At 40th and Ludlow Streets, hidden for years underneath metal cladding, is one of Frank Furness’ earliest commissions in Philadelphia. U3…
Openness is secret ingredient in meal shared with strangers
Leon Caldwell, a socially minded real estate developer who was born and raised in West Philadelphia, spends a lot of time…
West Philly-bred developer seeks 'return on community' when eyeing new projects
When I was growing up in West Philadelphia, I walked past a historic cemetery in my neighborhood almost every day. It…
20 years after a deadly robbery, a neighborhood market is reborn
Muhammed Aslam died in the South Philadelphia business he built. It was a cold December evening in 1999 and the shop…
Good news and the bad in Philadelphia’s transportation plan
Philadelphia deserves a serious transportation agenda. Recently, the City of Philadelphia released its Connect Strategic Transportation Plan. A lack of…
For once, let's celebrate Philly's clean and green achievements
It's not just Gritty that has people around the country talking about Philadelphia. The city that gave the world a 7-foot…
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…
A Point Breeze night market inspires neighborhood pride
If you feed them, they will come. On Thursday night, hundreds of hungry people braved the rain for a first-of-its-kind Night…
Building for Discovery
The Discovery Center, a new kind of environmental and leadership education center opening this month, is unlike anything else in Fairmount…
In Common: Hidden habitat reclaimed as Discovery Center opens in Fairmount Park
Next in our series about Philly's changing public spaces, Ashley Hahn explores the Discovery Center, a new environmental education center opening…
Remembering Robert Venturi, Philadelphia architect who gave 'more'
Robert Venturi, one of the most influential design minds of the 20th century, passed away on Tuesday, September 18 at the…
Mass evictions are growing more common in Philly. Here's how to fight them.
Speculative development is on the rise in Philadelphia. With many neighborhoods on the cusp of rapid gentrification, property owners and landlords…
A Neighborhood Preservation Toolkit created by Philadelphians, for Philadelphians
To many, preservationist might seem a limiting definition, applying to those dedicated to saving individual buildings where famous people were born…
An education in how to be a better neighborhood advocate
Learning how Philly government works can be a circuitous and sometimes frustrating thing. In my experience, it takes years. It takes…
In West Philadelphia, a park collaboration in progress
In a time of such rapid development, it is important for community members to access spaces that have a sense of…
