Urban Planning
News on cities, suburbs, and how we design the places we live
‘An unusually slow year’: Philly has roughly 17K property assessment appeals to review
Property assessments dictate how much property owners must pay in property taxes. Bills are due on Friday.
Delaware officials unveil multi-million-dollar plan to transform Dover
The Downtown Dover Partnership presented a redevelopment plan dubbed Capital City 2030 to town residents this week.
7 days ago
The data posted on the City Controller’s website will be used for budgeting and as a blueprint of how to invest in social programs.
1 week ago
It’s called source of income discrimination. City law makes it illegal, but it’s incredibly common.
2 weeks ago
Billy Penn
SEPTA pulls the plug on KOP Rail, putting the $3B project ‘on pause’ after FTA concerns
Transit officials expressed disappointment. The project’s many critics are relieved.
2 weeks ago
Influential Chinatown group says a new Sixers arena would ‘imperil’ the neighborhood
The Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation is the latest group to formally oppose the $1.3 billion project.
2 weeks ago
More than 100 years after opening, Philly’s Kingsessing Library is getting a $7 million makeover
The library is the first of 12 to receive upgrades with funding from Philly’s soda tax as part of the city’s Rebuild program.
2 weeks ago
SEPTA expands program to get more businesses to offer free rides to workers
The plan is to offer the employer-sponsored deal to smaller businesses beginning May 1.
2 weeks ago
Community gardens say ‘unfair’ Philly Land Bank practice makes preservation harder
People fighting to save community gardens in fast-developing neighborhoods say groups should not have to take on mortgages to get land.
2 weeks ago
Listen 1:08
Philly wants to ‘stitch’ together Chinatown by capping the Vine Street Expressway
The city has $4 million to plan and design a cap. It will have to apply for additional funding from the federal government to build it.
3 weeks ago
Philly street sweeping starts again in April
The street sweeping program currently covers 14 high-litter areas of the city. The mayor’s budget proposal includes an expansion.
4 weeks ago
How Philly’s new regulations impact short-term rental owners
As Philadelphia gears up for hosting the World Cup in 2026, short-term rentals are a topic of discussion for City Council and owners alike.
4 weeks ago
Construction has started on Penn’s Landing park over I-95 highway trench
The cap will be home to nearly 12 acres of parkland and seamlessly connect Old City to the Delaware River waterfront at Penn’s Landing.
4 weeks ago
With sewers, streets and skyscrapers, modern cities are complex systems, and it takes a huge amount of design, planning, and maintenance to keep them moving. From transportation news on SEPTA and the PPA to real estate reporting on the 10-year tax abatement and neighborhood gentrification, WHYY and PlanPhilly cover the people, organizations, and policies that affect city life in Philadelphia and across the Delaware Valley.