Urban Planning news: Philly real estate, transportation & housing

Here is what Biden’s new plan could mean for Philadelphia’s future, according to four local transportation experts.

5 years ago

Homes on North 50th Street in West Philadelphia.

West Philly state rep. to introduce bill banning sheriff sales through August

Rep. Amen Brown expects to introduce legislation to halt sheriff sales in the city through much of the summer — just days before auctions are slated to resume.

5 years ago

Workers at Amazon's fulfillment center in Staten Island, N.Y., gather outside to protest work condition

Primed: New Amazon warehouse derails land deal for SEPTA trolley facility

SEPTA’s trolley modernization project faces a setback after Amazon outbid the agency on a Southwest Philadelphia parcel it wanted to turn into a trolley barn.

5 years ago

Philly Council calls for hearings after sudden switch to online sheriff sales

City Councilmember Cherelle Parker wants to know why Sheriff Rochelle Bilal is selling the city’s distressed real estate on an online bidding platform.

5 years ago

Kensington residents gather at SEPTA’s Somerset Station to protest its closure

SEPTA to reopen Somerset Station after repairs with a new police booth, more security

The temporarily closed Somerset Station on the Market Frankford Line could reopen by May — and when riders return, they can expect to see a police presence.

5 years ago

Adrian Bondy, a leader of the Build Like You Live Here neighborhood organization, speaks to protesters during a rally at 2400 East Huntingdon Street. A seven-story building is planned for that address in a neighborhood of two- and three-story rowhouses. (Emma Lee/WHYY)

Neighbors protest Olde Richmond developer with checkered past

Developer Gagandeep Lakhmna faces loud opposition from people who live near his latest project in Philadelphia's Olde Richmond neighborhood.

5 years ago

The entrance to the 15th Street subway station, across the street from City Hall. (Emma Lee/WHYY)

SEPTA hiring 60 security guards for Market Frankford Line

The unarmed guards will assist SEPTA police officers as the transit agency works to improve safety amid a citywide violence epidemic.

5 years ago

Darlene Burton speaks from a megaphone at a protest over Somerset Station's closure

‘We shouldn’t have to get less’: Kensington residents protest Somerset Station closure

Residents gathered to protest the temporary closure of Somerset Station — a lifeline to jobs, appointments, and school for those who have continued to use it mid-pandemic.

5 years ago

The owner of the former Spring Garden train station, once a stop on the Reading Railroad, filed for permits to demolish the historic structure. (Emma Lee/WHYY)

Philly’s Spring Garden railroad station to be torn down despite efforts to save it

A successor to the Reading Railroad Company filed permits to demolish the historic train station months after a group filed a conservatorship petition to save it.

5 years ago

Study: No, you aren’t imagining it — pizza menus are Philly’s sidewalk carpet

A study conducted using the Litterati app found 1,000 pieces of advertising litter on the ground. Pizza sellers were the main driver of stray menus documented by researchers.

5 years ago

This rendering shows a newly built condo development in the Graduate Hospital section of Philadelphia. (The Stafford Group/ Gnome Architecture)

Eyes on the Street

To thrive, Philly needs more housing — not more rules limiting builders

Pro-housing development activists call on the mayor to veto a bill they argue will hamper efforts to address the city’s growing affordability challenge.

5 years ago

Delaware

Infrastructure

Public Spaces

Wilmington lawmakers appeal to feds for I-95 cap to reunite the city

Could having a Delawarean in the White House help create a long-hoped for rooftop park over I-95 through Wilmington? Some city lawmakers hope so.

5 years ago

A notice informs the public of the closure of the Somerset Street El stop

Kensington residents share concerns about Somerset Station closure with SEPTA

In a virtual meeting, Kensington residents, city officials, and SEPTA leaders spoke about the challenges faced at the station, which will close Sunday.

5 years ago