Metro Jacksonville

Elements of Urbanism: Philadelphia

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Metro Jacksonville takes a visit to one of America's most recent urban revitalization success stories, the City of Brotherly Love: Center City Philadelphia.

Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2010-jun-elements-of-urbanism-philadelphia

Everytime I visit Philly I drool over their immense inventory of historic buildings. When i'm in town I pick up a copy of citypaper (their folio) and read the I love you/I hate you section. It's always an entertaining read:

http://citypaper.net/lovehate/

Now I want Genos for lunch.

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Philly looks really great! Very cool city.

pretty darn cool...went to college in Philly and lived in Center City for 2 years...a few things

1. the condo building shown at Penn's Landing - I worked there as the Head Lifeguard...woo hoo!

2. The building across from 30th St. Station (in one of the shots) is the Old Post Office...now turned over to UPenn

3. The park pictures actually appear to be from Rittenhouse Square, not Washington Square...both are equally nice

4. Much of the wayfinding signage was implemented by the Center City District, an outcrop of the Central Phila. Development Corporation...this is one of the projects I worked on as an intern...way back in 1993

5. Schuylkill River Trail....this picture is of an area that was a pretty seedy city park (lots of weird night time activities) even through the 1990s

6. The CVS Pharmacy shown in one of the pics used to be a movie theater....Philly had several in-town theaters even in the early 1990s....I saw a local pre-screening of the movie Philadelphia there

7. Many of the streets shown with bike lanes used to be 2 lane one-way streets w/ parking

8. The shot with the streetcar tracks in the street....back in the early 1990s, SEPTA stopped operating most of these streetcar lines (put buses on the routes instead)....and then sold the PCC cars to places like San Fran....a few of the streetcars have now been brought back...most noticeably the 12th St line, which goes under/through the Convention Center.

One final thought that has meaning for Jax....I always found Center City Philly to be a great place to live, work, and hangout...but, up through the early 1990s there was a large homeless population, dirty streets, and rising crime....the turn around began in 1994 when the City opened the new Convention Center downtown and started to actively promote Philly as a tourist destination.

Great insight, tufsu1.

Flip-Flip-Flipadelphia!

Philly looks like a great city that has preserved its history and incorporated new construction very well.  On the show 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia', they show a shot of their train station, which looks a lot like the Prime Osborne.  It always makes me think of the potential the (Optimus) Prime has.  Philly has been on the list of cities I want to visit for a while now, and this photo tour has increased that desire.

Nice pics of the "City of Brotherly Love." Absolutely stunning pics of the Union Terminal...ah, what could have been with our terminal! I could live in Philly in the summer; winters are out of the question!

"HU"

Could you see Jacksonville doing this?

QuoteFounded in 2002, the Philadelphia Gay Tourism Caucus is an inclusive, regional organization that works with all communities collaboratively to promote gay and lesbian tourism to the Greater Philadelphia Region to capture a share of the $70 billion gay travel market. The initial group was motivated by a desire to promote Philadelphia and The Countryside as a top destination by gay and lesbian travelers. Open to anyone, gay or straight, the primary purpose of the Philadelphia Gay Tourism Caucus is to bring together a group of people who are willing to share resources to collaborate on the continuous improvement of Philadelphia as a gay-friendly destination.

http://www.gophila.com/pub/campaign/gay/

I'll be in Philly later this month for the first time. Looking forward to it.

Expanding further on the rebirth of City Center is the ongoing rebirth of the Northern Liberties neighborhood nearby.  They also resumed a once defunct trolley service connecting this neighborhood with City Center again a few years ago... which I believe is part of the SEPTA line(?).  The neighborhood is quite interesting to Jacksonville b/c it is eerily similar to Springfield in that it had a decaying historic housing stock and went through kind of a house/building razing faze and was littered with vacant lots(sound familiar?).  It is currently starting to thrive again with an emerging 'bright class'-centric populace.


Not a big Philly fan... definately some of the most obnoxious people on the Eastern Seaboard.  But the hoagie rolls sure are good  :)

Yes! This exactly what I'm talking about! Philly! Yeah! I grew up less than an hour from here. This is one of only three or four cities that I compare Jax to directly. Why the hell can't Jax get its act together and be more like Philly! If nothing else, just to ease my homesickness. Maybe I'm being selfish but, Jax needs to make "me" feel at home already! Did you guys know thatit's actually illegal for a driver to run over a pedestrian?! pedestrians always have the right of way, always. There is a sense of culture, diversity and personal identity. We need to bring people from Philly, New York, Boston and even DC to conduct our urban studies and find solutions to help turn our country township atmosphere into a thriving world class city. And let's send those who run our city back to the swamp, the farm, the woods or wherever they come from.

Philly, being in close proximity to New York and Washington, is one of the most overlooked great cities in America.  It's also one of the most "livable" BIG cities.

It has legendary culture (the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Philadelphia Museum of Art [see Rocky I], the Rodin Museum, the Franklin Institute, the Penn. Academy of Fine Arts, etc., etc.), great sports (has to have the largest or equal to the largest concentration of stadiums/arenas in one place anywhere with all of them together), top notch higher education (on par with Boston for most colleges and universities in the area including Penn, Temple, Villanova, St. Josephs, LaSalle, Drexel, Swathmore, Bryn Mawr, Haverford, and 4 or 5 medical schools), great food (some of the best eating East of the Mississippi), great history and preservation of it (need I say this), great parks (in addition to the aforementioned square and waterfront lands, how about Fairmount Park and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway?), great people (more ethnic neighborhoods than I could list), excellent public transit (no cars needed here), and more little unknown morsels of goodness than even many locals can tabulate.

Over the years, cleaning up its waterfront and its politics (Mr. Rizzo and company) and dealing with its heavy industrial age hangover (shipyards, oil refineries, etc.) appear to be to have been its greatest challenges.  Thanks to capitalizing on its assets (particularly its educational and cultural ones), it has become a high tech research and development center, particularly in medical related technologies.

By the way, I posted previously that Penn is engaged in a multibillion dollar urban renewal of the area from 30th Street Station to South Street to the eastern edges of its campus, incorporating the old main post office building across from 30th Street Station (and of similar period and size).  See Penn Connects: http://www.pennconnects.upenn.edu/index.php

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QuoteKey features of Penn Connects:

   * Establish new connections and gateways between the campus, Center City, and the neighboring communities.
   * Concentrate mixed-use, dense development at strategic locations by taking advantage of existing transportation hubs.
   * Create a new signature urban park that includes recreational and athletic amenities.
   * Provide new public gathering spaces and pathways to link the core campus with the newly acquired land to the east.
   * Accommodate significant development potential for future academic, research and cultural programs.
   * Establish a University presence along the Schuylkill River Corridor.

Urban Design Goals of Penn Connects:

   * The south side of Walnut Street is developed with active street level uses.
   * 31st Street is extended south of Walnut Street to engage the new development opportunities and provide a convenient north/south access route.
   * A significant new public green is created in front of the Palestra as a new center of campus life in this emerging precinct.
   * Locust Walk is extended east, through new urban and landscaped open spaces over the Schuylkill River, via a new pedestrian bridge.
   * The existing Highline railroad is utilized for its linear nature as an armature for organizing the open space structure of the land.
   * A pedestrian plaza is proposed between Franklin Field and the renovated Palestra complex to improve pedestrian connections over the SEPTA line, and to create a major gathering space for associated sports and recreation along an extension of Locust Walk.
   * The Penn Tower will be demolished, making way for a new urban open space for the Health System campus.

Growing Greener

The Penn Connects plan recommends a sustainable approach to development, with a particular focus on the opportunities available in the east expansion area.

   * Specific recommendations include:
   * a long-term plan for carbon reduction
   * high-performance buildings to reduce energy consumption
   * smart land use planning and increased open space
   * enhanced transportation
   * mitigating storm water issues
   * improving recycling practices

(http://www.pennconnects.upenn.edu/all_project_images/the_radian_images/the_radian_large_1.jpg)

The Old City District is one of the city's popular nightlife destinations for young adults, with a handful of lounges, dive bars, and trendy restaurants mostly along the three blocks from 3rd and Market streets to Front and Chestnut streets. The popular monthly First Friday event features "open houses" by many neighborhood art galleries. Landmark Theatres operates three "Ritz" movie theaters in the area, specializing in art films.

http://www.oldcitydistrict.org/

Quote from: finehoe on June 03, 2010, 05:50:05 PM
The Old City District is one of the city's popular nightlife destinations for young adults, with a handful of lounges, dive bars, and trendy restaurants mostly along the three blocks from 3rd and Market streets to Front and Chestnut streets.

Jax really doesn't have to make it that hard.  Just copy great and successful concepts like this already "road tested".

Quote from: tufsu1 on June 03, 2010, 09:36:07 AM
The building across from 30th St. Station (in one of the shots) is the Old Post Office...now turned over to UPenn

I learned yesterday that UPenn never took full control of that building....so now the old post office is going to the IRS....this from a friend who works in Philly for the Feds at GSA (aka the government slumlord).

http://thedp.com/article/new-irs-building-set-open-sept

Tufsu, my understanding is the IRS/GSA is the tenant but that Penn and its partners are the master developers and maybe the ongoing landlord.

From your article:

Quote
The renovation of the former Post Office building at 30th and Market streets, along with the construction of a parking garage adjacent to the building, aims to connect Penn and Center City Philadelphia.

The project is a partnership between Penn Facilities and Real Estate Services and Brandywine Realty Trust.

The four kids and I went to both DC and Philly over spring break this year to enjoy some urban ambience. We all agreed that Philly was our favorite out of the two! One of the things I noticed which would be really cool in Jacksonville is the planned graffiti on many of the buildings which attracts artists to the use their talents in new ways, as well as celebrating unique characteristics of the buildings and aspects of Philly itself. Of course I doubt that the city council would ever allow 'planned graffiti', but one can only dream!

I know that Philly itself is NOT a friendly city in many ways and has a number of problems, but at the same time there are so many things going for it that it's hard to be dissuaded from visiting. NY'ers are flocking to Philly in droves because the cost of living in NYC has skyrocketed so much, and many of them are moving to Center City and adding to the vitality of the core. I see this as a huge plus.

We stayed next to the convention center directly across from City Hall and loved the location! Our oldest daughter who is a graduating senior cannot wait to return to their art museums. As for myself, this year was my fourth trip there over the years and do see a big improvement (except for the Gallery Mall, that seems to have gone downhill). What I also love is how they don't raze their old structures any longer and use them!!

Phillie is my hometown and I return to visit every summer. I love the old city section, and it's clear that Philadelphia 'gets it' and makes absolutely every effort to restore and maintain it's historical structures. Most of old city is filled with such structures, where the historical values are of great importance and yet they are given a rebirth by having them serve as businesses of all kinds, apartments, stores, you name it...and they're all in these old beauties. Something that this city needs to learn!

I attended a convention in Philadelphia.  Two other delgates and I took the Amtrak to 30th Street Station and spent $15 to take a taxi to our hotel in Center City.  Our week was spent walking around the area to enjoy the sites, retail and dining.  I took the SEPTA to Manayunk to visit with two friends who moved up there from Gainesville, Florida.  I was impressed by the rich history, diverse architecture and great food.  I made a point to have some scrapple before I left town.  I got some scrapple from the Reading Terminal Market.  This is a great city!

By chance, I found this today on CNN's web site:

QuoteSix Philly gems beyond the Liberty Bell
By Zach Pontz, Special to CNN
June 3, 2010 10:00 a.m. EDT

(CNN) -- Philadelphia is one of the few American cities whose history is a fully integrated part of the urban landscape. Cars still roll along the city's cobblestone streets, people live in homes dating back to the 18th century and bars Ben Franklin frequented are popular today.

Philadelphians don't neglect their history, and rarely do they cordon it off.

But apart from the tourist destinations that are synonymous with the place, such as the Liberty Bell, the art museum steps (you know, from "Rocky" fame) or Pat's and Geno's famous Philly cheesesteak shops, there is an often overlooked aspect of Philadelphia: its cultural depth.

So for the curious admirer, here's a list of some other interesting Philly destinations:

Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania

There are few places so close to urban centers -- the Arboretum lies on the northwest, and most rural, edge of Philadelphia -- that allow you to experience such natural diversity. More than 2,500 types of plants strew the grounds.

You can be strolling through an English rose garden and the next moment find yourself standing in front of world-renowned artist Patrick Dougherty's "Summer Palace," an art installation created by weaving sticks and saplings together.

In the summer, a miniature garden railway is erected, an always-popular amusement for children who get to experience the delights of a massive train set. And from summer concerts to a rotation of special exhibits, there's always something new taking place.

Northern Liberties

This once-floundering neighborhood has seen a rebirth in recent years. Frequently overlooked by outsiders because of its dubious past, it lies just a stone's throw away from the more friendly Old City neighborhood that houses the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.

Home to some of the city's hippest restaurants, bars and clubs, Northern Liberties is fast becoming a top destination for artists and other hipster types.

The Piazza at Shmidt's is a new favorite, a Philly take on the famous Italian communal ground, but don't overlook some of the older mainstays such as Ortlieb's Jazzhaus.

Walk a Crooked Mile Books

Perhaps it's the fortress of books that surrounds the entryway and patio, or the scattered $2 literature that welcomes you as you enter, but there's something unparalleled about this used bookstore in the Mount Airy section of Philadelphia. Just north of the main commercial strip of the neighborhood, proprietor Greg Williams converted a portion of this 1882 train station from the apartment building it had become into a bookstore 15 years ago.

"We think of ourselves as a cultural reservoir. We have books even the library wouldn't have," says Williams.

I came across early 20th-century originals and reprints among the dusty shelves and rickety wooden floors. And alas, if for some reason you don't find anything that you fancy, you can be comforted by the complementary coffee they serve.

Sarcone's

The layers of delightfully flavorful deli meat would be cause enough for celebration if this hoagie (Philadelphia term for the sub sandwich) wasn't all about the roll. With a crusty exterior that slowly gives way to a soft center, it comes plain or with sesame seeds.

It's certainly a far cry from that mushy bread found at your local sandwich chain store. In a city where the hoagie is part religion, this is widely considered among the best. Sitting at the top of the Italian Market, Sarcone's is a perfect stop after a stroll through one of the city's famous landmarks.

Philadelphia Mural Arts program

There are more than 2,800 public art murals in the city of Philadelphia. Peppered throughout the city and painted by burgeoning and established artists, you can take tours by trolley, bus, bike and foot.

Ryan Derfler, the tour manager of the program, suggests the trolley as an introduction.

"It allows you to really get into the neighborhoods. You're not stuck in Center City. Philadelphia is a very neighborhood-centric city. [The trolley ride] allows you to see enough art that you see how the murals really reflect each neighborhood and the city."

Rodin Museum

Auguste Rodin is considered one of the greatest sculptors to have ever lived. I mean, have you seen "The Thinker"? This gem of a museum, which sits in the shadow of the Philadelphia Art Museum, opened in 1929 and is one of the legacies of movie theater magnate Jules Mastbaum, whom in the early 20th century had accumulated the largest Rodin collection outside of Paris.

Luckily, he decided to share it with his fellow Philadelphians. And for just a $5 donation, it's one of the better cultural deals in town.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/06/03/philadelphia.culture/index.html?hpt=Sbin

I might add another attraction to this list, home to some of the best ancient history collections anywhere:

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QuoteUniversity of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology [Frommer's Highly Recommended]

The 118-year-old museum got started early and well, and is endowed with Benin bronzes, ancient cuneiform texts, Mesopotamian masterpieces, pre-Columbian gold, and artifacts of every continent, mostly brought back from the more than 350 expeditions it has sponsored over the years. The taller structures that surround this museum give its Romanesque brickwork and gardens a secluded feel. The museum has had spectacular special exhibitions, including forays into ancient Iran, Roman glass, ancient Egypt, and works from ancient Canaan and Israel.

Exhibits are intelligently explained. The basement Egyptian galleries, including colossal architectural remains from Memphis and The Egyptian Mummy: Secrets and Science, are family favorites. Probably the most famous excavation display, located on the third floor, is a spectacular Sumerian trove of jewelry and household objects from the royal tombs of the ancient city of Ur. Adjoining this, huge cloisonné lions from Peking's (now Beijing's) Imperial Palace guard Chinese court treasures and tomb figures. The Ancient Greek Gallery in the classical-world collection, renovated in 1994, has 400 superb objects such as red-figure pottery -- a flower of Greek art -- and an unusual lead sarcophagus from Tyre that looks like a miniature house. Other galleries display Native American and Polynesian art and a small but excellent African collection of bronze plaques and statues. There's a very active schedule of events throughout the year.

Read more: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/print-attract.cfm?a_id=22667&destID=23&p_id=22667&tn=attractions&search_type=#ixzz0q8lLbuId

I visited DC this past weekend and while there, took an excursion to Philly for about 24 hours; it was my first visit since '94 (around the time the new convention center opened) and it was a really great experience. I love Philly's authentic urban fabric and could see myself living there. Penn's Landing was nice, and I like the way their major venues are clustered together a few miles outside of DT. It would have been great to see some shots of Market Street, but for the most part, I think the essence of Philly has been captured here.

I lived in Philly for a year (2003-04) and it is definitely my favorite American city.  There is one thing in the article I'd like to correct.  It implies that Center City was a troubled place that has been resurrected.  In fact, even in the 1980s and 1990s, Center City was more lively than most Sun Belt downtowns by a factor of roughly infinity.

What's changed isn't so much the downtown core as spreading gentrification: in 1990, if you were priced out of Center City, you would typically move to the suburbs because everything more than, say, five or ten blocks from City Hall was really scary (and even a few places that were within a few blocks on the north side of downtown).  By contrast, today, the "downtown-adjacent" neighborhoods are beginning to recover. 

To put it another way, Philadelphia is Jacksonville inside out: Jacksonville has a weak core and good neighborhoods a mile or two away (San Marco and Riverside), Philadelphia has a historically strong core, but in the late 20th century most of the neighborhoods between downtown and the city limits went into meltdown. 

Philadelphia's challenge is to revitalize those downtown-adjacent neighborhoods; its happening with the neighborhoods closest to downtown, but the neighborhoods that are, say, 2-10 miles out are still in trouble.

I'm heading to DC today. That tax abatement program back in 2000 really paid off for Philly and Center City.  When I get back to Jax, I'll dig up my photographs from earlier visits to compare.  Here are a few from the last three days....

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