Changing Communities

Writer Kyle V. Hiller left West Philadelphia, where he was raised, to attend college. His 2020 return was a homecoming he never could have anticipated.

City Council unanimously passed the measure to create a council-led Zoning Code Review Commission to help revise the regulations that govern land use.

If you want a voice in community development, find avenues to engage beyond the comment threads, writes Camille Boggan.

Experts who monitor development trends say the future for dense cities like Philadelphia remains something of a question mark heading into 2021.

The new regulations limit building height and ban some exterior building materials as well as roof decks.

“The American Dream” used to mean a single family home and two car garage. But lifestyles, family units, and income levels have changed, and so should the definition of home.

Built on formerly vacant city lots, the housing will be earmarked for families earning less than $50,000 and veterans.

The Historical Commission unanimously approved Rite Aid’s plan to demolish the midcentury modern Penn Fruit landmark.

Trump called Haiti and African nations ‘shithole countries’ and made immigrants a public enemy. Philadelphia’s Black immigrants say they are motivated to vote him out.

Meanwhile, the number shooting victims is up 47% over 2019 with police reporting more than 1,600 people injured by gunfire so far this year.

Parking is usually a hot-button issue in crowded cities. But restaurants are taking over spaces once reserved for cars, and to the surprise of owners, few are complaining.

Society Hill’s proposed zoning overlay will exclude people and restrict development based on misrepresentation of history, a preservationist writes.

Protests happened across rural Pa., including Franklin County — elevating political fault lines and fractured alliances that have been lying beneath the surface.

The South Philly road is one of the city’s most dangerous. Many neighbors see the change as positive though some challenge the virtual engagement done.

For some of the Camden census workers, the job was at best marred by misunderstandings and at worst, a story of broken promises.