PHILADELPHIA | Highrise Development Thread X

[thoughtcriminal]

Originally Posted by el don

Alright so the districts are gerrymandered, and districts are gerrymandered to keep an incumbent party/person in power. Doesn't seem "fair".

I don't know, I'm pretty sure that no matter how you sliced the district boundaries up, Philly would still be Democrat.

[el don]

Originally Posted by thoughtcriminal

I don't know, I'm pretty sure that no matter how you sliced the district boundaries up, Philly would still be Democrat.

For sure, that's why I added person. Which seems to be the issue in this debate

[Londonee]

Originally Posted by allovertown

I think you have me confused with someone else. I love criticizing Philadelphia government. Who doesn't love shooting fish in a barrel?

I'd say we disagree on the purpose of electoral districts. You seem to think the goal should be to get as many of the same type of people in one district. You suggested a district should be all of center city and then because that's not enough people... just throw in any other gentrified part of the city with them. Lol I mean, you're literally describing how people gerrymander. You have a goal in mind, namely more power for wealthy people and you're nakedly setting out to achieve that goal. It doesn't even matter to you which parts of town are grouped together in a district as long as you achieve your goal.

Center City is not some unified entity. Seems perfectly sensible that districts in Philadelphia would come out of center city sort of like a pinwheel, tying center city neighborhoods with the neighborhoods outside of center city that are geographically near them following the major thoroughfares, transit lines, and geographical features that tie them together.

As I admitted, I'm sure there is some gerrymandering going on with city council districts. But come on. Look at some of the gerrymandered districts elsewhere in this country. Philly has nothing like that. These are all fairly compact districts that group together nearby neighborhoods.

If you wanted to feed all of this info into a computer and have a computer automatically spit out the most balanced and fair districts as possible, I'd be all for that. Let's totally eliminate gerrymandering from the equation. Though in such a scenario I highly doubt the computer would decide to group together the entirety of center city and whatever other wealthy enclaves it can piece together throughout the city to get enough people for a district.

I’m a bit torn on this issue. I’m not sure how having a single district comprising most of CC somehow gives it more power? In a way, it consolidates it into one district, with one council member, and actually would work to diminish it’s overall sway across the chamber, no?

I think a big issue is just aligning needs. Right now, when you cross-pollinate constituencies - no one’s needs are being met on a pretty basic QOL level, relative as they may be hood to hood.

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by Londonee

I’m a bit torn on this issue. I’m not sure how having a single district comprising most of CC somehow gives it more power? In a way, it consolidates it into one district, with one council member, and actually would work to diminish it’s overall sway across the chamber, no?

I think a big issue is just aligning needs. Right now, when you cross-pollinate constituencies - no one’s needs are being met on a pretty basic QOL level, relative as they may be hood to hood.

That's a good point. One could argue with most of the growth being in and around Center City that splitting up the constituencies gives them more say overall.

I'd actually be a fan of doing away with the At-Large seats (which to be honest, I don't understand the purpose of) in favor of creating 5 additional/more compact geographic districts which in theory would create more aligned constituencies.

[Jawnadelphia]

-anyone going to the game tomorrow??! Go insane!

[DeltaNerd]

Originally Posted by Jawnadelphia

-anyone going to the game tomorrow??! Go insane!

I already spent my money on lasts week game. No more funds.
I however look forward to seeing if the Philly hotels get a boost from all the traveling fans and media in the area.

[R5Ryder]

Looked like Comcast Center had one row of new lights on in the crown tonight. Looked kinda weird - like a random stripe. Took a pic but it's hard to make out what I'm talking about.

Edit: you can see it in between the crowns of the Liberties.

[TK2001]

Philadelphia skyline by Philly SkyGuy, on Flickr
^
Here's the new lights on Comcast Center from Cherry Hill
Philadelphia skyline by Philly SkyGuy, on Flickr

[PurpleWhiteOut]

Omg finally! I had seen the one strip, and it looks good and way brighter. Looks great as green, finally joining in!

[TK2001]

^
That strip of green in the center is Arthaus. Comcast is between One and Two Liberty on the left, with a brighter white strip. My source told me he saw rainbow being tested a few months ago, and the whole top "block" will be lit up. Unfortunately the decorative lighting on the corners will stay white, but what's planned is long overdue

[justremember]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

It's not about being "rich". It's about giving a constituency a consistent voice.

Philadelphia is so accustomed to the narrative that everybody is poor and the main issue is poverty and violence (even though our council is inept at addressing those issues) that literally nothing else gets lip service.

We can walk and chew gum at the same time. Just because my neighborhood doesn't have the same existential issues as poorer neighborhoods in the city doesn't mean my priority issues don't deserve an advocate.

Hate to extend this conversation, but I can’t not point out that what you’re suggesting is still gerrymandering in a sense: drawing a district with the aim of it consisting of mostly of a particular constituency. The difference being that constituency has access to more power and privilege regardless of how districts are drawn. They already have access to better living conditions than most of the rest of the city.

We probably do need more districts so the can be smaller and we can have a more representative council, but tilting more power towards the most privileged demographics in the city should be low on the priority list.

[TempleGuy1000]

Originally Posted by TK2001

Here's the new lights on Comcast Center from Cherry Hill
Philadelphia skyline by Philly SkyGuy, on Flickr

Nice one TK!

[philly_account12]

Originally Posted by Londonee

I’m a bit torn on this issue. I’m not sure how having a single district comprising most of CC somehow gives it more power? In a way, it consolidates it into one district, with one council member, and actually would work to diminish it’s overall sway across the chamber, no?

I think a big issue is just aligning needs. Right now, when you cross-pollinate constituencies - no one’s needs are being met on a pretty basic QOL level, relative as they may be hood to hood.

I don't think you're fully considering councilmanic prerogative. It sucks and its a terrible way for a government to function but its the current state of affairs and doesn't seem to be going away. From that perspective, a single center city district gives CC residents way more power over what happens in center city (even if it may reduce their influence city wide).

I don't think there is any question that the development going on in center city is unique and very different from pretty much every other area of the city. With center city carved up into 3 different districts, the final decision on what gets built in our city's core is made by someone who's constituency is:

• all of South Philly east of Broad and most of Fishtown
• all of South Philly west of Broad and Elmwood Park/Eastwick
• or almost entirely north of Spring Garden

That's obviously a problem right? Its a bad setup for CC residents before we even factor in that two of the people referenced above are actively anti-development (Johnson & Clarke) and fight to reduce the height of pretty much every building proposed in their districts. The councilperson job is bigger than just approving development (and there are a ton of other factors that go into it), but I thinks it pretty clear from an urban planning perspective that center city residents have very minimal influence over their neighborhood.

Like, can you imagine if the Sixer's stadium proposal was somewhere else in center city or the lines were drawn differently so that it was in Clarke or Johnsons's district? Its pure dumb luck that the gavel for that decision is held by Squilla (who represents the largest part of CC and probably has the closest district makeup to center city).

[R5Ryder]

What's with this area - are they still working on the lights, or is this just how it's going to be?




It would look so much better if the "inner pyramid" could be uniformly lit, like in this render from PhillySkyline.com (not sure of original source.)

[TK2001]

The lights you see above is the current lighting from 2008. The one strip of new lighting you can slightly see on the south side of the crown. How the lighting was described, would look like this
Philadelphia skyline in green by Philly SkyGuy, on Flickr
No, we will not see a bold strip on the top of the tower

[R5Ryder]

So they're abandoning the original idea of matching lighing down the inner corners of the pyramidal shape and going with just a light crown? It's a shame - there's so much potential if they could pull it off with the strips down the side that get solid at the crown. The current strips of bright light get lost in the sea of soft light. I'd honestly prefer the entire thing to be a more soft light (with the occasonal color change, but that's not as big a deal to me as a good lighting scheme is.) As it stands, it kinda looks like someone made a mistake or just went with an idea that lacks character.

But judgement will be reserved until we see the final product. Just glad they're trying to make some kind of improvement.

For CTC, I'd love for the blade to have dynamic lighting and be able to "shoot" pulses up and down or have other effects for special occasions. But that's pie in the sky, and I'm probably alone in that opinion.

Would also be cool if the Mickey-mouse ears of Commerce 1 and 2 had some light trim, and maybe the BAT (my favorite building) was illuminated a little more. IDK - with all the lighting I want, Philly might be able to be seen from space!

[TK2001]

A tower that needs a lighting upgrade is Bell Atlantic Tower, I believe they're using the same system installed during the end of construction. It would be nice of those balcony lights came back on IBX too, and lights on top of Commerce would be awesome. Hopefully they plan on bringing back these lights and adding more

[R5Ryder]

According to ZLED’s site, they completed an upgrade on Comcast Center lights some time after 2014 (which is when the RFP was done). Surprised 1) that upgrade wasn’t noticeable… at least to me, and 2) they’re doing another one less than 6 years later.

https://zled-lighting.com/projects/comcast-center/

[summersm343]

Hey all! My Philadelphia 2022 Photo Thread Part 3 is up! Check it out!

https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/sho...20#post9856820

[Jerryiz]

Summersm...Thank you so much for your time and your contributions to this site and our beloved neighborhoods! You are truly an ambassador! WONDERFUL !