Quote:
Originally Posted by cafeguy
How F*cking cool is this city? Look at how we have row homes directly abutting skyscrapers. Its amazing! We have a community and a city where people can be downtown in a metropolis while still fully owning their own structure. Many other cities, you need to choose between living downtown in a condo/apartment/co-op or buying your own home outside of the hustle and bustle. If you want your own structure to call home in these cities, you are forced to pay for a million dollar building. Across greater center city, there are tons of affordable homes....its amazing. What we need to do to continue this style of philly living is to line every major cooridor with zoning that requires density, retail, and unlimited height while preserving these amazing pockets of row homes. Imagine a future where broad, market, washington, girard, spring garden, etc etc is filled with density while preserving the pockets of homes. I feel like the best areas of the city are those that don't have too many blocks of industrial buildings, too many tall, too many retail, too many apartments, too many homes. Neighborhoods that only have row homes feel like an urban suburb! Breaking it up by making pockets of row homes not too far from main corridors is just so nice.
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^This! You summarized my love for this city PERFECTLY! I grew up in the City and Delaware County, plan to move to the City full-time after graduating college and grad school (hopefully Wharton, Fox, or LeBow), and staying here for as long as possible. I have been to many cities across the US and world, from New York to Atlanta to Seattle to Paris. Philly is a very special place.
By 2035 (when I will turn 40), I envision Market West fully saturated with development. Market East will have undergone significant redevelopment. Market, Chestnut, and Walnut will have various department stores. The the east bank of the Schuylkill River will have condos and apartments lining the trail. East Arch, Race and Vine Streets will eventually take to the sky, as will all of Logan Square. The Delaware Riverfront will be an even bigger tourist destination. Spring Garden, Girard, and Washington Avenue will have significantly dense residential development. North Broad will be just as prestigious as South Broad (at least from City Hall to Temple's campus). Hopefully, transit expansion (especially subways) will come into play. Finally, the capping of SEPTA's Powelton Yard and Amtrak's Penn Coach Yard will be about 5 years out from development.
Hopefully, the Philly I envision, will be the Philly that I will be celebrating my 40th birthday in!