I was walking down Lancaster Ave. between 42nd & 36th this past Saturday. I guess we'd have to define what a strong corridor would look like. Would it be more working-class like Lancaster in the 40's or a more polished area like Lancaster as one heads toward Drexel? Can ethnic take-out establishments coexist with an upscale place like Zocalo? Is it possible that some of the stores that served these communities for years hang on for awhile? I'm thinking that C.B. Moore between Broad & 17th is in a somewhat similar position to Lancaster between 34th & 37th, although the latter seems to be farther along in maturing as a commercial district. Obviously both are closely linked to their respective universities, although Lancaster may be somewhat less reliant on Drexel due to the strength of Powelton Village as a residential district. I haven't read anything on Temple's current plans for C.B. Moore but would assume that they're looking at further possibilities there.

My idea of a strong corridor is a place that services a majority of residents' daily needs without having to leave the neighborhood.

That can mean a lot of things to different people, but the concept remains the same.

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My restlessness is my nemesis.

So what is it?

THe river was held back due to speculating on casinos?

Or the casins have nothing to do with development.


How about both...

and Brigantine, Margate and Ventnor aren't far from AC at all.

People drive down there....due to cheap and available parking

In fact it's EXACTLY the same distance of say Fishtown to City Hall.

(Johnny Brenda's to City Hall 2 Miles)

(Ventnor to the Taj 2 miles)


Face it... Casinos don't hurt stable areas.

They are placed to help poor failing jobless cities.

Like us. Outside of the "zone of gentrification" most (about 60% or higher) is in decline (ie, North, West, SW, lower NE)

Jobs fix cities...not high end housing.

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The only point I was making was that all the highrises planned along Delaware river were proposed before Sugarhouse got its gaming license, so it's a very tenuous connection to make. Not sure how that results in your rant on the glory of casinos.

For the record, I don't understand how high end housing (assuming it becomes occupied) doesn't help the city. High end housing=high end tax base that used to live elsewhere and high end customers for local businesses that employ local residents. How is that not a good thing?

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"What's up Pops!" - Lebron James to Bush 41.

residents do little if nothing to bolster a tax base.

on the whole, they take more than they give back.

more affluent residents however, are less likely to take by way of public schools, social services, etc., but they are more demanding of other services such as sanitation, beautification, etc.

but yes, residents are needed to draw in biz.
biz is always a net profit in terms of tax revenue.
but some businesses, such as casinos, don't have to rub elbows with housing.

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My restlessness is my nemesis.

Residents pay taxes don't they? Even if they don't work in the city, they still pay the wage tax. Plus real estate taxes (I know, abatement, eventually it'll expire). That is the definition of a tax base. Sure they'll demand services, but that also has positive side effects, look at the Center City and University City districts that created services that don't drain city taxes.

Don't get me wrong. Jobs are a good thing and we need more of them. However, the jobs that are really going to grow the city again are high-tech service jobs and the best way to attract those types of companies (other than lowering taxes or giving financial incentives) is to have the type of a city where its employees would want to live, work and play.

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"What's up Pops!" - Lebron James to Bush 41.

People are making a leap assuming that these high-end houses will have residents. Some will, of course, but keep in mind that in places like Ventnor (already mentioned in this thread) and even NYC, the market is driven by out of towners (in NYC, Europeans) looking for a crash pad. These people aren't residents, and put very little pressure on services. If Philly can pull off that trick (Charleston already has done this too successfully - the trick being convincing people to pay through the nose for a house which they spend more time imagining than being in), that will be great for the city's tax base. Rendell understood exactly this. This is what a tourist economy is all about; people go to a tourist economy to hang out, enjoy themselves, and spend money earned elsewhere. He is a genius.

In addition, for those high-end houses actually occupied, the link between industry and housing is not as strong as it used to be. Road warriors and computer jockeys who work from home can live where they please, and we are appealing to those types already and need to do more of the same.

Not everyone lives in Univ. City and Center City.
CCD and UCD are funded by businesses with money that could be used to hire more employees or expand.

In terms of jobs, Philly needs to diversify.
You shouldn't stack all your chips up in hi-tech and tourism.
The port facilities are still huge in this region and should be expanded.
Health care is huge.
Education is huge.
A combination of all of the above should be the goal.

and IMO, I don't think Philly should focus on being a crash pad for Euro trash. We just built 20 years worth of high-end housing.
We should focus on bringing the middle class back to the city and improving conditions for the underclass that makes up roughly 1/4 of the population.

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My restlessness is my nemesis.

Net Profits + Wage... I don't have a seperation..

But think.. a factory doesn't need a school.

Comcast Need Fire and Police but not a school or a park.

It's had to search but basically a resident is a break even for a city... a new city.

an old city with lots of aging infrastructure...not so much.


Also... do recall how much of he city is semi abandoned..

massive residential areas fully laid out with parks and schools at 20% of the original housing still usable. (Like N0rth Philly)


Ever play Sim City?

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Philly is fortunate to have a diversified economy. That is a good thing; when I say that we should continue to develop the tourist economy that doesn't mean we should become one-dimensional, and develop tourism at the expense of everything else. Balance is a good thing.