“More Park, Less Way” is the title of a new plan to revitalize Philadelphia's Benjamin Franklin Parkway, which was fashioned after Paris's famous boulevard but falls short by almost any measure, including its unwelcoming pedestrian environment.
It turns out that dramatic nighttime illumination isn't the only way in which Philadelphia has fashioned itself after the City of Lights. The city's mile-long Benjamin Franklin Parkway, which was designed by French landscape architect Jacques Gréber with the Champs-Elysees as model, was appropriately named for a man who had close connection to both cities.
"This plan comes at an appropriate time when the city has made significant improvements to the streetscape, and a number of cultural and civic projects along the boulevard have come to fruition, including the opening of the new Barnes Foundation. With only a few years left in Mayor Nutter’s term, the administration is eager to implement these recommendations."
FULL STORY: The Brotherly Parkway
Philadelphia Launches Plan To Redesign Ben Franklin Parkway
The city wants to make the car-centric parkway more accessible and people-friendly.
Philadelphia Seeks Proposals to Pedestrianize Ben Franklin Parkway
The city hopes for "transformative" solutions to reinvigorate the auto-centric parkway and create safer paths for people walking and biking.
Fix Philadelphia's Parkway by Turning Logan Circle into a Square
Does Philadelphia's Benjamin Franklin Parkway really deserve a multi-year celebration of its upcoming centennial? No. Why? Because, as hard as it may be to admit, the Parkway was a mistake. To fix it, start by turning Logan Circle back into a square.
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