Is River Setback "An Illegal Taking"?

22 June 2009 - 11:00am

Philadelphia's City Council has approved two new measures that would preserve historic buildings along the Delaware River and require 100 ft. green setbacks. Some developers are protesting the ruling, saying it amounts to an illegal taking.

The bills are based on a visioning plan created by PennPraxis, the clinical arm of the University of Pennsylvania Design School.

"It relied heavily on community input, and critics have called it an academic exercise devoid of landowners' perspective. The bill, they say, creates a de-facto moratorium on development.

On the other hand, Councilman Bill Green's bill to authorize historic designation for building interiors appears to have satisfied most parties."

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, June 19, 2009
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Short of erasing existing political and jurisdictional boundaries, citizens and officials need to develop the capacity to work across boundaries according to the "problem-sheds" of the land and water issues we face in the 21st century.