Center City

Market Street, Center City

The Future of Downtowns Still Hangs in the Balance

Center City in Philadelphia offers a case study for one of the largest and potentially most consequential contingencies of the pandemic: What happens to downtowns is most workers never come back to the office?

June 9, 2021 - Philadelphia

Philadelphia Street

More Residents and Workers Using Fewer Parking Spaces in Philly's Center City

The findings of a report on changes occurring in Philadelphia Center City finds more residents and workers walking, biking, and taking transit. (Thankfully, they aren't all looking for parking every day.)

July 4, 2016 - PlanPhilly

Parking Spaces Reduced in Center City Philadelphia—Along With Parking Occupancy

Philadelphia is providing a living case study of the tenants of the Donald Shoup-approach to parking.

January 1, 2016 - Plan Philly

Developers See Dollar Signs in the Viaduct Rail Park Proposal in Philly's Center City

The Viaduct Rail Park could one day become a version of the High Line in Philadelphia's Center City.

November 13, 2015 - Philadelphia Inquirer

Coming Soon to Philadelphia's Center City: 3D Digital Advertisements

A Philadelphia City Council committee approved a controversial proposal to allow "Urban Experiential Displays" (i.e., large, 3D digital advertisements) in Center City.

February 25, 2015 - PlanPhilly

Philadelphia Skyline

A Coming of Age Story for Philadelphia's Revitalized Center City

A housing report by analyzing Philadelphia's Center City enunciates an obstacle facing many cities in the throes of downtown revitalization: What happens when Millennials don't come home to roost?

February 20, 2015 - Philadelphia

Philly's Ugliest New Building Shows the Folly of Public Subsidies

Philadelphia Inquirer architecture critic Inga Saffron has the knives out for a new hotel built in Center City, calling it the 'worst new architecture' in the city. Worse yet, we all helped pay for such awful design.

August 19, 2013 - philly.com

Higher Home Values Preserved in Mixed-Income, Medium-Density Suburbs

A new study of the Philadelphia area commissioned by the Congress for New Urbanism “finds new urban characteristics play a role” in how households and neighborhoods weathered the recent economic downtown.

November 17, 2012 - Better Cities & Towns

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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.