Greater Greater Philadelphia?

(h/t to Atrios for pointing out the existence of this fine blog)
It’s nice to see other cities having their own problems with zoning and land use. If for no other reason, we can learn from them if they fix it or learn what not to do if they screw it up even more.
And it [...]

How fond memories of a 1970s sci-fi flick is helping shape city policy

Mayor Nutter’s press office just released a statement of support for efforts to preserve the historic Boyd Theater on Chestnut Street. The site, which has been eyed by a number of developers, some of whom have had pretty cozy relationships with past mayors, has recently been designated as one of the most endangered historic [...]

3-1-1 can’t come soon enough

Full disclosure: I have had to do business with the city and it sucks.
I read with some interest this morning the piece in the Daily News about the Nutter administration’s recent dust-up over consultants for the city’s 3-1-1 system. To sum up, apparently some well-intentioned if misguided member of the managing director’s office decided [...]

Pittsburgh? Try Philadelphia.

A couple of days ago, Daily News blogger Will Bunch brought up an interesting point about the connection between gas prices and urban renewal.
In a post that pivots off of some grim news for the city of Pittsburgh (and aside from the Penguins, what news from Pittsburgh hasn’t been grim?), Bunch points out that places [...]

What is “Our City” going to look like 30 years from now?

That’s a question that often gets overlooked in the day-to-day activities of running a city government. In fact, responsibility for the shape and character of a city’s physical appearance is often left to a small group of planners who are sometimes both physically as well as philosophically separated from the rest of the government.
Elected [...]

Building a better bridge to a more sustainable community

Ask anyone who is an expert on sustainability and they’ll probably tell you that the plans for a rebuilt South Street bridge violate just about every principle of sustainable infrastructure building that you can think of.
Rather than connecting University City and Center City with a walkable, bike-friendly span that would encourage people to visit both [...]

Attacking the problem of prison overcrowding

Prison overcrowding has been one of the city’s most pernicious problems for a couple of decades now. With a new crime plan in effect that promises to crack down on violent crime and round up parole and probation violators, there’s potential for that problem to get worse.
Late yesterday, the prisons commissioner and the mayor [...]

City puts first property tax scofflaws on the auction block

The Law Department sent out a press release today announcing that it would be putting the first 45 tax-delinquent properties up for Sheriff’s sale tomorrow. This is all part of an effort to collect on tens of millions of dollars in unpaid property taxes owed to the city and the school district.
The entire press [...]