Unusual Approach to Public Engagement Produces Exciting Results in Philadelphia
Rather than bringing a powerpoint presentation and ritzy renderings to a meeting with neighborhood residents, developer Omar Blaik brought blank sheets of paper. The result? A process devoid of the usual rancor and a denser design than zoning allows.
"Over three meetings this summer that were fueled by platters of falafel and bottles of beer, [Blaik's] company, U3 Ventures, and the Spruce Hill Community Association hashed out the kind of building that they thought suited both the neighborhood and the investors," writes Inga Saffron. "Then they proceeded to literally sketch the broad outlines of the design with help from Blaik's architect, Cecil Baker + Partners."
"The architecture of the building, which would face Clark Park on its 43d Street side, is still rough, but Blaik's collaborative process offers an intriguing model for Philadelphia's rapidly changing rowhouse neighborhoods - from South Kensington to South Philadelphia - that are seeing a surge in apartment projects."
Published on Friday, September 13, 2013 in
Topics
- A Comedian's Brutal Takedown of Public Transportation's Failures
- The Dark Side of the Rust Belt Revival
- Atlanta Pedestrian Bridge—Not a Good Example of Public Dollars Well Spent
- A New Kind of Planning Controversy: the Emoji House
- Mobility Data: How Your Travel Patterns Could Inform Policy
- As Cities Densify, New Building Design Strategies Keep Them Livable
- New Paper: Exclusionary Is a National Problem in Need of Federal Action
- New D.C. Development Guidelines Require More Consideration of Walkability
- Train Travel Gains Popularity as 'Flight Shame' Trends in Europe
- 'Housing Twitter' and the Great Debate
- Three Ways Cities Can Combat Extreme Heat
- Automakers Required to Increase EV Sales in Colorado
- Texas Program Pays Landowners to Leave Coastal Lands Untouched
- Another Automaker Shows Interest in California Deal on Auto Emissions
- An Affordable Housing Investment Guide for Nonprofit Hospitals and Health Systems
- In the Housing Market, a Few Decades Makes a Huge Difference
- Former L.A. Planning Director Admits to Ethics Violation
- The 'War on Cars' Is a Bad Joke
- Demystifying Mass Timber
- On Public Transit, Some of the World’s Best Sightseeing
