A Neighborhood Preservation Toolkit created by Philadelphians, for Philadelphians
To many, preservationist might seem a limiting definition, applying to those dedicated to saving individual buildings where famous people were born…
An education in how to be a better neighborhood advocate
Learning how Philly government works can be a circuitous and sometimes frustrating thing. In my experience, it takes years. It takes…
In West Philadelphia, a park collaboration in progress
In a time of such rapid development, it is important for community members to access spaces that have a sense of…
A photographer reflects on a summer oasis: Dendy Playground
Dendy feels like magic. That’s the thought that ran through my mind the first time I went to my neighborhood rec…
In Common: What if the library could mend public life?
Next in our series about Philly's changing public spaces, Ashley Hahn checks out the Free Library’s Center for Public Life, a…
Philly Free Streets: Enjoyed by walkers, cyclists, beach lovers — but not drivers
Cyclists, walkers, children and dogs were happy to take over the four-lane expanse of North Broad Street during Philly Free Streets…
A walking tour of North Broad, ahead of this year's Philly Free Streets event
Many organizations and people are behind this year’s Philly Free Streets event. The city goes “car free” on Broad Street from…
Floating a solution to Philadelphia's parking-space quandary
Philadelphia has a parking problem. At face value, we have a tremendous number of spots: 2,172,896 at the most recent count…
Remember Asian-Americans in those cultural-competency conversations
“Where are you from?” “You speak great English.” While these statements no doubt can come from a good place from a…
Chess, and the power of girls to identify themselves as leaders
Bobby Fischer once famously said, “Chess is life.” In the city of Philadelphia, these words take on more truth than their…
What if it rained? How a rec center changed one life, and could change more
Every time it rains, the Hunting Park Recreation Center has to shut down activities because of a hole in the roof. …
Our Morning Commute: Multimodal living with kids in Philadelphia
For the last seven years, my children and I have primarily moved around Philadelphia by bike, foot, and public transportation. Though…
In Common: The Oval stretches car-free play onto the Parkway this summer
Our series about Philly's changing public spaces continues with a trip on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Ashley Hahn checks in on…
Make no little pints: Bringing taste and memory into community storytelling with Watershed Ice
What’s the next level of community reporting? For many, printed text and visuals make complex issues clear. Others absorb information best…
Looking at Philadelphia from the prism of `The Divided City'
Author Alan Mallach will appear in conversation with PlanPhilly's Jake Blumgart from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. June 26 at Pipeline Philly,…
The Gayborhood: A place-time continuum
PlanPhilly has been looking at pop-ups and the neighborhoods in which they take place. On Thursday, June 21, the Food Trust…
Design Advocacy Group's views on the Philadelphia Historic Preservation Task Force
We applauded last year when Mayor Kenney created a Historic Preservation Task Force and asked it to recommend how to avoid losses like…
In Common: Centennial Commons carves out space for East Parkside neighbors to connect
Next up in our series about Philly's changing public spaces, Ashley Hahn heads to Parkside Edge to see how this project…
In Common: Rail Park opens, carrying the freight of a changing neighborhood
What does it mean to create a new park in a changing, sometimes contested neighborhood? Next in our series about Philly's…
WHYY Listening Post: "The Gang Goes to Burholme"
What happens when people have access to a microphone and a platform, with an invitation to tell the invisible listener about…
