Visions of Vibrancy: Center City Philadelphia
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The vibrancy of cities comes in all shapes and sizes. Many believe that what works in internationally known comsopolitan settings may not be applicable for cities that have struggled with embracing walkability, such as Jacksonville. If we look hard enough, we may realize that this type of view should be challenged. Despite the diversity around the globe, all lively cities, downtowns, and urban cores have something in common: being pedestrian-friendly.
Read More: http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2014-oct-visions-of-vibrancy-center-city-philadelphia
I have nothing to see besides WOW, that looks absolutely beautiful! I would love to live in an area like that, however JAX will never be able to compete with that. Even our supposed dense areas are a joke. Coming from the northeast, pictures of city's like this make me miss home. I am not saying JAX is horrible by any means, as I do enjoy the city tremendously, I just miss the density and walk-ability of a true city. Also, the clear culture of that area is undeniable just based off of those pictures. The china town and italian area remind me of Greek town in Detroit, or Hertle Avenue (Italian Strip) in Buffalo.
I lived in center city Philadelphia for 4+ years and loved it. That said, I also love living in Jacksonville. Each place has their own special charm and people need to find what speaks to them.
You aren't telling all of the story. Philadelphia has its own income tax. That's right, in addition to federal and state taxes, those lucky enough to work in Philly get to pay a city income tax. Parks, etc. ought to be fantastic because the city is extracting their pound of flesh for it.
^^Philadelphia has a 3.924% wage tax on residents and a 3.495% tax on non-residents for wages earned in the city.
Once one factors in transportation costs, the numbers probably even out a lot more than we'd think. Nevertheless, between 2010 and 2013, 151 square mile Philly added 27,159 residents. During the same period of time, 757 square mile Jax added 20,799. Yet over this same period of time, Jax's MSA had a +3.64% growth rate compared to Philly's +1.16%. Is it a stretch to say that people just may be willing to pay more to live in a vibrant setting with a high quality of life?
Another downtown albatross in Philly is the Vine Street expressway, which cuts through the "old city" quadrant on the map. Another problem is the weather - no sun from November through April. And the allusion to a frustrating transit system is very much on target. Otherwise great city which has grown impressively since I was a college student there in the late 90s early 00s. Their art museums don't get as much attention as they should and are fantastic. Too bad no photos of Reading Terminal (the market place in the old train terminal) -- it is totally awesome. Jammed w/ local food vendors and a great diversity of lunch spots; it would be awesome of it the Landing could emulate it over time.
^The market is shown in images 5 and 61.
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You're right. I stand corrected. Thanks!
Forget about the 'racist' Colin Flaherty, his conservative angle, the headline and all of that BS. Just listen to the reports, with some BLACK people showing concerns of all of this random violence in Philly; Center City, supposed to be a beacon of peacefulness within Philadelphia, okay....Many other cities have these problems as well. Stuff like this NEVER happens in DT Jax.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r72rCWzyIOQ
A whole other story to report from Philly is the amazing multi billion dollar decades-long transformation, now running at full tilt, of University City, just west of Center City. UC is home to the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, at least 3 science research complexes, 4 major hospital complexes and thousands of apartments, condos & homes, along with high rise office buildings, restaurants, hotels, shopping centers, theaters and more - a city within a city. This is a premier example of public-private partnerships and the power of urban campuses.
2014: University City development overview video: 15.8 million square feet since 1999, 72,000 jobs, 43,000 students, $3.5+ billion in development: http://www.innovationneighborhoodphl.com/university-city-development-video.html (http://www.innovationneighborhoodphl.com/university-city-development-video.html)
2016: University of Pennsylvania "Penn Connects": "Over the last decade, Penn has added 27.25 acres of new open space, 6 million sf of new construction, and 2.4 million sf of renovation, representing a total commitment of public and private investment of $3.8 billion." http://www.pennconnects.upenn.edu/index.php (http://www.pennconnects.upenn.edu/index.php)
2015: $1 billion to redevelop 14 acre high school site for University City Science Center: http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/morning_roundup/2015/06/wexford-university-city-hs-powelton-village.html (http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/morning_roundup/2015/06/wexford-university-city-hs-powelton-village.html)
Jacksonville city leaders could do a lot just by copying and pasting success stories like this. May be a few less zeros, but the basic principles still apply. Imagine if just Mayo and UNF were in the urban core how Downtown would look today!