Philadelphia

Traffic Jam

The Challenge of Redesigning an Accident-Prone Street

Philadelphia's Washington Avenue experienced 915 car crashes between 2010 and 2013. The city wants to minimize risk in its redesign, but lacks the space to install every suggested improvement.

March 18, 2015 - PlanPhilly

Finding the Right Mix of Uses for Former Industrial Sites

The Philadelphia City Council is tinkering with a novel land use created by its 2012 Zoning Code update to help guide mixed use development on former industrial sites.

March 12, 2015 - PlanPhilly

Project Housing

How a Philadelphia Mayoral Candidate Influenced U.S. Public Housing

Former HUD counsel and current Philadelphia mayoral contender Nelson Diaz laid the groundwork for "entrepreneurial" approaches to public housing. Whether the resulting projects were effective is up for debate.

March 10, 2015 - PlanPhilly

Children Playing

A Call for Reimagined Schoolyards

In recent years, tactical urbanism has helped reinvent many streets and sidewalks in center cities, creating new public spaces. But many spaces remain untouched. Anuj Gupta argues that reinvented schoolyards can be the next great public spaces.

March 8, 2015 - Philadelphia Magazine

New Website Calls Out Philadelphia's 'Parking Wastelands'

It's unclear who exactly is behind the Philly Parking Wasteland website, but it is clear that the site exists to excoriate the mismanagement of land for the purposes of parking around the city of Philadelphia.

February 28, 2015 - Philly Parking Wasteland

The Value of More Creative Play Areas for Children

As free-range children become an increasingly rare species, designers and psychologist are also questioning the effects of the sterile, innocuous playgrounds currently in fashion. How can play, and kids, get liberated again?

February 27, 2015 - The 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

704,000 Residents in the Shadow of Philadelphia's Crude-by-Rail Infrastructure

Two major rail lines provide crude oil shipments to refineries and terminals in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. A surprising number of residents would face evacuation in the event of a fire on the route.

February 25, 2015 - Philadelphia Inquirer

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

Planning Case Study: the Philadelphia2035 River Wards District Plan

Philadelphia planners are halfway through the Philadelphia2035 River Wards District Plan, which will help guide development and investment for a broad swath of troubled neighborhoods proximate to the Delaware River.

February 18, 2015 - PlanPhilly

Philadelphia Announces 'Indego' Bikeshare System—Opening this Spring

Indego will officially launch this spring with over 60 stations and 600 bikes. The city is already making plans to expand the system after its initial launch.

February 11, 2015 - Philadelphia Inquirer

Philadelphia Skyline

Pennsylvania Comes 'Round To Roundabouts

When two roads meet in William Penn's Forest, what do you do? New plans from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation say, increasingly, you build a roundabout. No fewer than forty are on the drawing board throughout the state.

February 5, 2015 - Philadelphia Magazine

SEPTA Tops for Women Transit Riders

An informal survey of transit ridership data reveals that Philadelphia's SEPTA has the highest percentage of women riders. But what does that data say about SEPTA and transit in general?

January 27, 2015 - PlanPhilly

Proposed Planning and Development Reorganization Stalls in Philadelphia

A drastic overhaul of the planning and development processes in Philadelphia is, at least for now, on hold so stakeholders can have more time to analyze the proposal.

January 23, 2015 - philly.com

Strategic Plan for Philadelphia Land Bank Gains Approval

By all accounts, the Philadelphia Land Bank has completed a high quality strategic plan to guide its actions over the coming years.

January 22, 2015 - PlanPhilly

An 'Energy Hub' Boomtown—In Philadelphia?

The Marcellus Shale boom has inspired some in Philadelphia to imagine their city as the "next Houston"—if it can attract the businesses and infrastructure to bring oil and gas in for the benefit of a homegrown manufacturing economy.

January 19, 2015 - Philadelphia

Critic: Development Proposal to Close for Comfort to Philadelphia's Rodin Museum

Architecture Critic Inga Saffron decries the development proposal making progress through the approval process in Philadelphia—a large, glassy residential building that would encroach on the tiny serenity of the Rodin Museum.

January 16, 2015 - Philadelphia Inquirer

Philadelphia Italian market

Three Cities Where New Immigrants Revitalized Main Street

Fusion lists three cities as examples of new immigrants becoming the face of community businesses in neighborhoods needing a boost.

January 14, 2015 - Fusion

Philadelphia Replacing 7 Bridges Above Vine Street Expressway

"A five-year, $82 million project to replace seven bridges over the Vine Street Expressway will also remodel the cultural spine of the city," reports Paul Nussbaum.

December 24, 2014 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Philadelphia Waterfront Revitalization follows the Schuylkill Banks Boardwalk

It might lack the High Line's design ambition, but the Schuylkill Banks Boardwalk will fill an appreciated role in the network of trails along the Philadelphia waterfront.

December 19, 2014 - The Architect's Newspaper

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.