Dec. 4, 2009
By Thomas J. Walsh
For PlanPhilly
Formal workshops between civic associations, CDCs, developers, city planners and members of the Zoning Code Commission will take place in January, backed by the Philadelphia chapter of the American Institute of Architects and with funding expected from the William Penn Foundation. FULL STORY HERE.
Nov. 4, 2009
By Thomas J. Walsh
For PlanPhilly
David Belt, at Community Design Collaborative; Oct. 30, 2009
“Just do it” and “easier to ask forgiveness than to ask permission” were the orders of the day from David Belt, the provocative guest speaker and designer from Brooklyn. Teams focused on schemes for Kensington and Chinatown, where plans are a couple years away.
Aug. 28, 2009
By Thomas J. Walsh
For PlanPhilly
Lost in all the recent talk about the Reading Viaduct – the elevated, abandoned railroad bed that slices through the city from Vine Street northeast to Fairmount Avenue – is that if things had gone a certain way a decade ago, the City of Philadelphia would already own the property.
What’s more, Reading International Inc., the California-based movie theater and real estate company that is the ancestor of the Reading Railroad, wanted to give the city between $2 million and $3 million to take the property off its hands, say veteran economic development professionals who were with the city’s Commerce Department at the time.
…Meanwhile, the highly touted, highly publicized High Line in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood has already served two big roles for Philadelphia’s own version of a possible elevated park in the sky.
© 2010 Thomas J. Walsh. All Rights Reserved.