PHILADELPHIA-CAMDEN-WILMINGTON-ATLANTIC CITY-READING | Metro Development Thread

[wanderer34]

Originally Posted by Urbanthusiat

Looks like rail service to Reading is back on the menu!

http://media.amtrak.com/wp-content/u...-Statement.pdf

What I find is a missed opportunity is that they’re not looking to restore rail service to the Lehigh Valley and Scranton via Philly, but rather New York. Because of history, those areas are more culturally aligned with Philly but itd be a shame to lose that connection to New York. Seems to me the best thing to do would be to run rail from Scranton to Philly via Allentown, and connect each to NYC individually. But not sure how feasible that is.

Rail service will come soon between Reading and Philadelphia. And as much as I personally hate SEPTA for removing rail service to the regional cities, all I can say is the best way is to be patient.

A Scranton-Allentown-Philadelphia high speed Amtrak service is much more realistic since the old Delaware and Hudson trains used to run between those two cities, as it makes much more sense to connect the smaller PA cities to Philadelphia rather than just branching them out from NYC. And a NYC-Newark-Allentown-Reading-Harrisburg service should also make sense.

[wanderer34]

Originally Posted by jonesrmj

I'm surprised that this has never been posted here, but apparently there have been proposals since 2004 to build a park and other construction projects on a cap over I-95 to reconnect the city blocks on each side of the interstate. According to these articles, lawmakers have recently appealed to feds for the I-95 cap to reunite the city.



https://whyy.org/articles/wilmington...nite-the-city/
https://www.delawareonline.com/restr...F4702276001%2F

I only wished Philadelphia came up with a similar plan to cap the Vine Street Expressway from 10th to Logan Square. It helps that Biden is in office and I can see this becoming a reality since this is DE. However when it comes to Philadelphia, you have to literally scrounge for funds just to have not action but a plan. Congrats to Wilmington, though.

[PHLtoNYC]

Originally Posted by wanderer34

I only wished Philadelphia came up with a similar plan to cap the Vine Street Expressway from 10th to Logan Square. It helps that Biden is in office and I can see this becoming a reality since this is DE. However when it comes to Philadelphia, you have to literally scrounge for funds just to have not action but a plan. Congrats to Wilmington, though.

This should have happened less than 5 years ago when PennDot was rebuilding the bridges!

Imagine a greenway from Logan Square to 10th Street. It would unite CC with Northern neighborhoods, attract thousands of people to that stretch, plus it would be another commuter from one end of CC to the other since that stretch is a mile long.

[iamrobk]

Originally Posted by jonesrmj

Wow, interesting to see places like Austin, New York, and DC which are considered major tech hubs (and everyone raves about) to be declining here. I guess it's mainly the lower cost of living of the areas that are growing (Except Los Angeles, which I'm surprised it's growing when Chicago which is a much cheaper (and much better city imo) is shrinking). I'm also surprised by how much growth there is in Miami given it's the most vulnerable place in the country to climate change.

LA is interesting - I wonder if it increased because people from the Bay Area moved there (I'm not up to date with California population flows, but it wouldn't surprise me if historically the Bay Area gets a disproportionate amount of new residents from Southern California, and now you're just seeing some return home). NYC is what it is, obviously people were fleeing the area like crazy at the beginning of the pandemic, but people will return. But no one has ever actually liked DC as a city, they're just forced to move there because of the government jobs.

And let's be honest, no one moving to Miami (or South Florida) is really thinking about climate change when they make that move lol. (Not to say that they shouldn't be, of course.)

[jonesrmj]

Originally Posted by iamrobk

LA is interesting - I wonder if it increased because people from the Bay Area moved there (I'm not up to date with California population flows, but it wouldn't surprise me if historically the Bay Area gets a disproportionate amount of new residents from Southern California, and now you're just seeing some return home). NYC is what it is, obviously people were fleeing the area like crazy at the beginning of the pandemic, but people will return. But no one has ever actually liked DC as a city, they're just forced to move there because of the government jobs.

And let's be honest, no one moving to Miami (or South Florida) is really thinking about climate change when they make that move lol. (Not to say that they shouldn't be, of course.)

I thought the people fleeing the Bay Area that stay in California are going to Sacramento. Los Angeles (while not San Francisco expensive) is still very expensive.

I honestly think the whole Southern US (Sunbelt) is very overrated, and I don't understand why so many people like it. Boring nature and landscapes, no "real" cities, most vulnerable to climate change, way too hot and humid in the summer, and I think every other area in the country offers something much better in every category. The only pro I see is that it's cheaper, but is it really worth it when it will either be too hot or underwater in the somewhat near future. And to live in the suburban sprawl messes with no zoning laws they call cities down there. No thanks, I would rather live in a real world class city like Chicago, NYC, PHL, etc. Then again, that's just my opinion and I clearly am not in the majority.

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by jonesrmj

I thought the people fleeing the Bay Area that stay in California are going to Sacramento. Los Angeles (while not San Francisco expensive) is still very expensive.

I honestly think the whole Southern US (Sunbelt) is very overrated, and I don't understand why so many people like it. Boring nature and landscapes, no "real" cities, most vulnerable to climate change, way too hot and humid in the summer, and I think every other area in the country offers something much better in every category. The only pro I see is that it's cheaper, but is it really worth it when it will either be too hot or underwater in the somewhat near future. And to live in the suburban sprawl messes with no zoning laws they call cities down there. No thanks, I would rather live in a real world class city like Chicago, NYC, PHL, etc. Then again, that's just my opinion and I clearly am not in the majority.

Because most people are boring?

I think I could live in Atlanta, Austin, Charleston, Miami, or Richmond. For different reasons. Some would have more staying power than others. But all in all, I prefer NYC or Philly.

Also. Nashville is the most overrated city in this country by a bazillion miles.

There is literally almost nothing to do there. No meaningful cultural venues or museums. No transit. Mediocre restaurants. Worse shopping. Not walkable. Worse than all of the above (but not totally unrelated), the Southern Baptists are sort of the cultural elite in Nashville.

The only thing I like about Nashville is that the architectural vernacular even in middle brow areas is really nice and it is very green and has a lovely, rolling topography.

[summersm343]

Originally Posted by wanderer34

I only wished Philadelphia came up with a similar plan to cap the Vine Street Expressway from 10th to Logan Square. It helps that Biden is in office and I can see this becoming a reality since this is DE. However when it comes to Philadelphia, you have to literally scrounge for funds just to have not action but a plan. Congrats to Wilmington, though.

They are (the city and others) putting a ton of time, effort and money into capping I-95 between Market and Walnut Streets from Front Street down to the Delaware River... sooo, that's a big undertaking which will be transformational for the area.

I too badly want to see a Vine Street Expressway cap, and I'm willing to bet that will be the city's next undertaking after the I-95 cap.

[PHLtoNYC]

Ellis Preserve in Newtown Square enters final phase of development with $150M project pipeline

Ellis Preserve moving along. I thought an AC Marriott was planned in the final phase, but no mention of a hotel. It would have been a nice hotel addition to Delaware County.

https://www.bizjournals.com/philadel...Pos=0#cxrecs_s

[EastSideHBG]

Originally Posted by iamrobk

But no one has ever actually liked DC as a city, they're just forced to move there because of the government jobs.

One of my favorite cities in the US and I would gladly live there. Dense, walkable, solid transit network, tons to do, tons of greenspace, much cleaner than Philly...

[mcgrath618]

Let’s not let this devolve into city vs city...

[Urbanthusiat]

Been really interested with regional labor and mobility trends lately as we move past the pandemic - I keep seeing Philly doing relatively well in these types of analysis, love to see it. This is the Paychex/IHS Markit Small Business Employment Jobs Index for April 2021.



https://www.paychex.com/employment-watch/#!/jobs-index/

[BnaBreaker]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

Because most people are boring?

I think I could live in Atlanta, Austin, Charleston, Miami, or Richmond. For different reasons. Some would have more staying power than others. But all in all, I prefer NYC or Philly.

Also. Nashville is the most overrated city in this country by a bazillion miles.

There is literally almost nothing to do there. No meaningful cultural venues or museums. No transit. Mediocre restaurants. Worse shopping. Not walkable. Worse than all of the above (but not totally unrelated), the Southern Baptists are sort of the cultural elite in Nashville.

The only thing I like about Nashville is that the architectural vernacular even in middle brow areas is really nice and it is very green and has a lovely, rolling topography.

Hey, to each their own... but I mean entertainment and nightlife is what it does best. Saying there is nothing to do in Nashville is like going to Naples and saying you can't find any decent Italian food. So if you're bored or can't find a good meal in Nashville, then perhaps the real problem is simply that you're just a boring person, or at least not as interesting as you think you are? Just saying.

Also, I'm not sure who is doing the city rating in your life, but when I moved to Chicago twenty years ago it seemed as if half the people I met thought everyone in Nashville commuted by horse and worked in a barn. In other words, it wasn't that long ago that large swaths of the populace barely even recognized it as a city. So if it's "overrated" now, it's only because it's making up for being not just underrated, but not rated at all by most folks for like, the remainder of it's history. If you're comparing it to Philadelphia, then yeah, obviously it's lacking in a lot of areas. Philly is significantly larger, and let's face it, Philly is the shit. But for a metro that hasn't even officially hit two million yet, I'd say Nashville is doing just fine. Carry on!

[Jawnadelphia]

This looks like huge news for Wilmington. On Friday, the Riverfront Development Corporation will be unveiling the waterfront master plan for "Riverfront East" which was developed with RAMSA (Robert AM Stern architects) and David Rubin's Land Collective - landscape architecture firm. The Governor, Senator Carper, and other dignitaries will be there. One rendering has been released today (see below). Some highlights: A riverfront trail that extends into the Christina (similar to what Philly did with the Schuylkill), a second trail hugging the riverfront, and what appears to be at least two new buildings. It was already public that Buccini Pollin bought the parcels of land where the buildings on the left are shown in the rendering. More apartments? Condos? We shall find out.
Either way, as The Riverfront celebrates its 25th year in 2021, Wilmington is about to lift off on the full development of the eastern side of the Christina.


https://www.instagram.com/p/COyb9p0sPtM/

[iheartphilly]

^
I hope they do great things and bring in investments. I was down there a year ago, while nice...it has lots of room to grow and yet to be a fantastic destination.

[TonyTone]

Amazing and glad to see it. Grow Wilmington Grow!!!!

[jonesrmj]

Originally Posted by Jawnadelphia

This looks like huge news for Wilmington. On Friday, the Riverfront Development Corporation will be unveiling the waterfront master plan for "Riverfront East" which was developed with RAMSA (Robert AM Stern architects) and David Rubin's Land Collective - landscape architecture firm. The Governor, Senator Carper, and other dignitaries will be there. One rendering has been released today (see below). Some highlights: A riverfront trail that extends into the Christina (similar to what Philly did with the Schuylkill), a second trail hugging the riverfront, and what appears to be at least two new buildings. It was already public that Buccini Pollin bought the parcels of land where the buildings on the left are shown in the rendering. More apartments? Condos? We shall find out.
Either way, as The Riverfront celebrates its 25th year in 2021, Wilmington is about to lift off on the full development of the eastern side of the Christina.


https://www.instagram.com/p/COyb9p0sPtM/

That's awesome! I really hope it still includes the skyscrapers shown in the BPG renderings a few years back! If it does, it will double the size of Wilmington's skyline!

[Urbanthusiat]

I mean I’m happy Wilmington is getting a master plan, but let’s remember that plans aren’t proposals. These are thought exercises and there’s no real engineering or building design going on here. Whatever gets hurt probably won’t exactly resemble this, nor is there any guarantee or indication that anything will happen anytime soon. That being said, I do hope something happens here soon!

[Jawnadelphia]

Originally Posted by Urbanthusiat

I mean I’m happy Wilmington is getting a master plan, but let’s remember that plans aren’t proposals. These are thought exercises and there’s no real engineering or building design going on here. Whatever gets hurt probably won’t exactly resemble this, nor is there any guarantee or indication that anything will happen anytime soon. That being said, I do hope something happens here soon!

We’ll find out more on Friday. But this isn’t Philly and Delaware River, or Chester. If the RDC and BPG are involved and it’s Wilmington... things are going to happen. They’ve been working on plans for the “other side” of the Riverfront for years, and the bridge is open now. Getting that bridge completed really opens the doors for eastern side development.

[TonyTone]

Originally Posted by Jawnadelphia

We’ll find out more on Friday. But this isn’t Philly and Delaware River, or Chester. If the RDC and BPG are involved and it’s Wilmington... things are going to happen. They’ve been working on plans for the “other side” of the Riverfront for years, and the bridge is open now. Getting that bridge completed really opens the doors for eastern side development.

Exactly Jawn, The bridge, the 76'ers field house, the Wetland park thats about to open and all the other improvements that have occurred on the Eastern Riverfront was the Phase I in order to get things started.

In fact do you know what the plot next to the 76'ers field house is gonna be? I saw work vehicles on it and Prep being started.

Also the old Gold club is getting torn down to become a gas station and a fast food restaurant so it's getting busy on that side now.

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by TonyTone

Exactly Jawn, The bridge, the 76'ers field house, the Wetland park thats about to open and all the other improvements that have occurred on the Eastern Riverfront was the Phase I in order to get things started.

In fact do you know what the plot next to the 76'ers field house is gonna be? I saw work vehicles on it and Prep being started.

Also the old Gold club is getting torn down to become a gas station and a fast food restaurant so it's getting busy on that side now.

It's all very exciting. It would be cool if you could cycle all the way from Penn Treaty Park to Wilmington.

Some day!