Streetviews: Q&A with Development Workshop’s Craig Schelter

Craig Schelter worked at the Planning Commission for 15 years and spent 19 years at the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation. He knows a thing or two about what makes Philly tick and how the city has changed since he moved here in 1968.These days he runs the Development Workshop. Schelter sat down with us in his former office at PIDC to talk shop about tailoring the city’s real estate tax abatement program, transit investments, and how lots more jobs are the key to Philly’s neighborhood revival.

• Craig Schelter: Executive Director of the Development Workshop
• Neighborhood: Chestnut Hill
• Local Landmark: City Hall’s clock tower “for 19 years I looked out at this building day and night, and with the clock tower bright yellow at night, and looking at the moon’s reflection on the Delaware, this is the place where I got lots of inspiration.”
• Philadelphia in Three Words: Walkable. Historic. Dirty.
• Civic Heroes: (1) Ed Bacon and (2) Walt D’Alessio. Schelter worked for both, but gives top honors to D’Alessio for his many planning accomplishments in Philly “done with practicality and with a tremendous sense of humor.”

Interviewed Spring 2015

Streetviews is a video Q&A series with some of Philadelphia’s bright neighborhood, design, and nonprofit leaders, discussing the city’s biggest opportunities and toughest challenges as part of PlanPhilly’s Agenda 2015 election coverage.