Should Philadelphia get permanent pedestrian zones?

Philadelphia is experimenting with pedestrian-friendly streets this September, closing off parts of Center City every Sunday. While car-free zones are common in Europe, they’re a novelty here. But with the popularity of streeteries during the pandemic, Philadelphians are showing a growing appetite for reclaiming public space.   

Should this experiment be expanded? Could Philadelphia, or other cities like Haddonfield, NJ, West Chester, PA, or Wilmington, DE, become partially car-free? What areas should be prioritized? What would the economic and environmental impacts be? 

Guests:

Inga Saffron, Philadelphia Inquirer architecture critic

Katrina Johnston-Zimmerman, Urban Anthropologist and Adjunct Professor at Drexel University’s Westphal College of Media Arts & Design