hello philly!

4.24 (wed), there'll be a history panel on Chinatown and the controversial 76ers arena plan. with VU's @LepageVU center and hosted Asian Arts Initiative!

featuring activist Mary Yee; historian Domenic Vitiello; and prize-winning critic Inga Saffron -

spread the word!

Philly’s government is so in thrall to development that it refuses to provide oversight of new construction, and now some of its poorest residents are losing their homes to irresponsible contractors. Samantha Melamed reports on the latest collapse. inquirer.com/news/philadelp…

The tension between growth and gentrification as expressed in two murals

.Inga Saffron: Jefferson has managed to turn its portion of Chestnut Street into a two-block dead zone. The disconnect between Honickman’s dazzle and Jefferson’s self-inflicted blight couldn’t be more extreme.inquirer.com/real-estate/co… via @phillyinquirer

Today, we cut the ribbon on ISEPTAPHILLY's Drexel Station at 30th Street!

Drexel Station is West Philly's mass transit gateway to the rest of the city, the region, and the entire nation. And it is the launch pad for visitors looking to explore our communities. (1/2)

Philly officials love the notion that we just don't have enough darn money to fund key services, but it's really all about priorities

The new budget sets Parks & Rec's operating budget at ~$26M more than 2014, but increases the Mayor's Office budget by $8-9M just from FY23

City park system spending per resident Trust for Public Land Park Score

DC $161 per resident
Chicago $173 per resident
NYC $153 per resident
Seattle $315 per resident
Atlanta $140 per resident
Baltimore $132 per resident

Philly $56 per resident
billypenn.com/2024/04/08/phi…

.Inga Saffron asks: 'Is Jefferson’s dazzling new outpatient building enough to heal East Chestnut Street?'

inquirer.com/real-estate/co…

I really admire the gleaming new medical tower Jefferson Health just built in Center City. I just wish the hospital would clean up the mess it created around it. My column on the challenges facing Philly’s East Chestnut St. bit.ly/4aIHxzR

🇺🇸 Can Jefferson Building Heal Chestnut Street?

▫The disconnect between the Honickman Centres dazzle and nearby blight couldn't be more extreme
▫Inga Saffron

#frontpagestoday #USA The Philadelphia Inquirer 🇺🇸

We have a winner for most ignorant comment. Does he know that Market Street is a major e-w street and transit corridor with multiple bus lines and connections to El, suburban rail and Patco?

The Sixers arena proposal may not be dead yet, but this withering critique from the Civic Design Review board is going to make it harder for politicians to ram it through by saying it’s good for Market Street. Jeff Gammage reports: inquirer.com/real-estate/co…

This piece by raises important questions about special service districts, which were intended to pick up the slack after city govt stopped providing reliable trash collection, etc. in commercial districts. What do we do when privatization fails? inquirer.com/real-estate/co…

BREAKING: PennDOT and the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission announce the 5 most likely candidate corridors for restoring rail service to Allentown, PA. The full report of these studies will be used to apply for entry into the next round of Amtrak's Corridor ID program. #Amtrak

This says so much about America right now: People who must
own cars because there is no reasonable transportation alternative are so broke they have to line up in those cars (probably with the motors running) to get free food from a church pantry. inquirer.com/identity/merch…

W absolutely need electric vehicles.

But we don't need enormous electric SUVs that weigh as much as a tank an accelerate like a race car.

theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…

Rittenhouse Square is the city’s living room, used by all, and the friends group is doing a great job maintaining it. But please note that no city money is paying for these lawn repairs. Philly’s City Hall has given up supporting our parks.inquirer.com/news/philadelp…

Nearly every museum along Independence Mall has failed or nearly failed, going back to The Living History Museum built for the Bicentennial. To think, they removed three blocks of good city buildings to create an incredibly boring lawn that no one visits most days of the year.

Fact check: The average unemployment rate for all racial groups has been lower under Biden than it was under Trump.

I can’t take any goverment seriously about combating gun violence when they are criminally underfunding parks and recreation.