Where have all the public bathrooms gone?
By Charles Ellison It's been 11 days since Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson were arrested for waiting while Black at a…
A primer for Philadelphia’s pop-up season
After the sexy newness of a pop-up leaves town, can neighborhoods sustain the benefits for local businesses? It’s a question I’ve…
Stop talking about Kensington Avenue like it’s a wasteland
By Sam Woods Thomas During my three years managing commercial corridors for the The New Kensington Community Development Corporation (NKCDC), on…
Mapping affordable housing, crime or development in your Philadelphia neighborhood? Two new tools have you covered.
By Ken Steif I was recently asked to join my neighborhood Registered Community Organization (RCO) – the Spruce Hill Community Association in…
Saying goodbye to Philadelphia’s first black Catholic church
By Ashley Hahn Over tea, at her kitchen table, Adrienne Andrews Harris cracks open a thick binder containing the story of…
Why street sweeping alone won't solve Philly's litter problem
By Nic Esposito Even though my neighbors and I pick up trash out front of our houses every day, and we've turned…
Diary of a Philadelphia punk rock preservationist
By Venise Whitaker Generation X was described as the latchkey kids. We were the unfocused youth, the children of divorce. My…
Philly reckons with its endangered history as preservation task force pivots to solutions
By Ashley Hahn “We’re moving through a jungle, shrouded in mist. We’re on a path. We don’t know where it’s going,…
Going beyond hip with a vision for inclusive prosperity on North Broad
By Shalimar Thomas “This is a moment to forge an inclusive path to prosperity.” No, Drexel University President John Fry was…
Meet the broken system costing your neighborhood its voice
By Ashley Hahn “Philadelphia cannot afford to hang on to a process that favors discretion and subjectivity over objectivity, clarity and…
On Market East, an unusual fight in old battle pitting preservation against progress
By Ashley Hahn Market Street east of City Hall was one of Philly’s great shopping streets. After years of decline, the…
Why is Toll Bros. designing a "background" building for an iconic Philly neighborhood?
By Ashley Hahn After a couple of false starts, Toll Bros. is advancing a scaled-back proposal for a condo building, replacing…
How West Philadelphia businesses answer MLK's call to action
By Jabari K. Jones “We’ve got to realize that the moment is before us!” Those are the words that Dr. Martin Luther…
Design professionals discuss how to make room for all races in Philly public spaces
Sitting in front of a crowd of over one hundred, Tya Winn asked a row of audience members to stand. “There…
Forcing small business owners to remove protective barriers endangers public safety, does not make our communities better
Since 2000, my parents have operated a small family business in North Philadelphia, where we live and work. My parents, refugees…
HACE CEO: City Council should pass inclusionary zoning bill
Philadelphia’s housing market is red-hot. Building permits issued from 2013 through 2016 exceeded the previous seven years combined, and thousands of…
NLNA President: City Council, don’t fumble inclusionary zoning bill away on the two yard line
A mixed-income housing bill making its way through City Council aims at an important goal, but could miss the mark badly…
Not built in a day: One of PlanPhilly’s creators reflects on a decade of dedicated built-environment coverage
Michael Greenle facilitated the process that created PlanPhilly in 2006, shaped its outreach strategy at PennPraxis, stewarded its move from Penn…
PlanPhilly has a new managing editor: Ariella Cohen
As interim Managing Editor, I'm thrilled to announce that Ariella Cohen is the new Managing Editor for PlanPhilly. Ariella is an award-winning…
Monument Lab provided more questions than answers
Mural Arts Philadelphia’s temporary exhibition, Monument Lab: A Public Art and History Project, ended on November 19th. It asked: “What…
