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The Broken Teeth of Philadelphia

Posted by: Tim Halbur

6 February 2011 - 11:00am

David Gouverneur, urban designer and Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture at PennDesign, says mending the urban fabric of his city is a bit like acupressure: you put the pressure in certain key places to mend the whole.

Gouverneur was interviewed in Next American City. He talks about the role of urban design, the importance of place and the problems caused by Philadelpia's grid:

"The poor areas in Philadelphia now are the regions that lack economic drive. Neighborhood fabric has eroded, there are increased levels of vacancy, and the grid is full of holes. I think of it like dental work that’s losing teeth."

"When it comes to creating new centralities and reinvigorating a space, I think of applying design interventions like systems of acupressure – in isolated pressure points. This means investing your resources, and community and institutional efforts on specific places that you think are most likely to 'succeed.'"

Full Story: “An Ideal City Doesn’t Exist”: An Interview with David Gouverneur
Source: Next American City, February 4, 2011
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If hundreds of people in your community raised reasonable concerns about a planning program you developed, how would you respond? Perhaps you might call a community meeting, or ask community elected officials to reach out to community leaders.
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