The past, present, and future of Philadelphia parks and architecture

Listen 49:00
Work continues at the Rail Park, Thursday June 7, 2018 in Philadelphia. The quarter-mile-long Rail Park is scheduled to open to visitors Thursday June 14, the first phase of a park that supporters hope will eventually span 3 miles through the center of Philadelphia via former Reading Railroad tunnels, rail cuts and elevated platforms. The end result would be about twice the length and width of New York's High Line.(AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma)

Work continues at the Rail Park, Thursday June 7, 2018 in Philadelphia. The quarter-mile-long Rail Park is scheduled to open to visitors Thursday June 14, the first phase of a park that supporters hope will eventually span 3 miles through the center of Philadelphia via former Reading Railroad tunnels, rail cuts and elevated platforms. The end result would be about twice the length and width of New York's High Line.(AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma)

Guests: Kevin Dow, Inga Saffron, David Brownlee

A portion of the new Reading Viaduct Rail Park opens today – it’s a converted rail track that will act as an elevated scenic walkway, which may eventually stretch three miles across Philadelphia. We’ll hear  producer Jon Ehrens walk and talk on the new path with KEVIN DOW, executive director of Friends of the Rail Park. The Rail Park is one of several formerly industrialized sites turned into green spaces in Philadelphia. Philadelphia Inquirer architecture critic INGA SAFFRON and University of Pennsylvania architectural historian DAVID BROWNLEE join us for a look at how public spaces have changed as the city has evolved, and how we utilize these places now.

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