Urban Planning
Puff, Puff, Pass: Philly Council to debate banning hookah bars in most of the city
Neighborhood groups across the Northeast are on a campaign to shut down hookah bars they see as disruptive to their community.
7 years ago
Rain garden in Strawberry Mansion holds water — and makes students safer
The $1.6 million stormwater project also includes a curb extension, new sidewalks, a pedestrian crossing, and six Americans with Disabilities Act ramps.
7 years ago
Philly creates new loading zones to ease traffic in Center City
The city wants Center City delivery drivers to take a load off — without blocking traffic.
7 years ago
Who benefits most from Philly’s tax abatement? Center City developers
The lion’s share of revenue lost to Philly’s tax abatement is tied to large commercial real estate projects, not single-family homes.
7 years ago
Philly’s design world adores the city’s first fire-engine red skyscraper
Brilliant red terracotta laces architect Vishaan Chakrabarti’s first Philadelphia skyscraper. He chose the material for a reason: It’s the next best thing to brick.
7 years ago
A cure for the ailing Broad-Ridge Spur
The easiest and most straightforward fix for SEPTA’S black sheep line is making it free to transfer between the Spur and the Market Frankford Line.
7 years ago
Londoners battle developers to save original Liberty Bell foundry
Some 20K Brits signed petitions against a proposed “bell-themed boutique hotel.”
7 years ago
16 condos could replace Painted Bride, Philly’s oldest alternative art space
In advance of a court hearing, a Philadelphia developer filed permits to build residential units with parking and a roof deck on the contested site of the Painted Bride.
7 years ago
Residents can ask for LED streetlights to fight crime — and then wait
Bright new lamps are already installed in some Philly neighborhoods, but the timeline for others is unclear.
7 years ago
Ben Franklin Elementary gets a playground — a first for a public school in the 19120 zip code
Two thirds of Philadelphia public schools don’t have playgrounds, and until now, there were none in the 19120 zip code.
7 years ago
Listen 2:11One year after a 7-year-old fell from train to his death, SEPTA to experiment with locked doors
On the heels of an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, SEPTA is to test locks on train doors.
7 years ago
After devastating fire, historic Parkside church hopes to save its facade and rebuild
The day after a devastating fire, congregation members swept away ash, scattered tiles, and other burnt remnants of the roof from the sidewalk.
7 years ago
Philadelphia’s sidewalks are so bad that a group of people with disabilities are suing the city to get a plan for repair.
7 years ago
South Philadelphia has one of the nation’s highest rates of bike commuters. That fact alone can’t solve the neighborhood’s street design divide.
7 years ago
New federal highway funding bill could help protect roads from sea level rise
A new transportation bill making its way through Congress calls for money for resiliency projects to alleviate flooding issues in states like Delaware.
7 years ago














