Philly2060

PHILLY2060

This plan was developed as part of a Master of City Planning studio at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design in Fall 2017. The studio undertook a long-range planning exercise for Philadelphia’s public realm and transportation networks in 2060.

It would not have been possible without the support and guidance of Steve Buckley, Scott Page, and Jamie Granger.

PHILLY2060 4 Introduction 14

Climate

34 Mobility 52 Streets 74

Public Space

92 Conclusion

INTRODUCTION 7 7

Why Philly?

Why 2060?

8 Challenges 10 11

Recent Trends

Projected Growth

12 Imperatives

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PHILLY 2060

History: Philadelphia is the only World Heritage City in the United States. Source: Thomas Orgren.

Culture: Philadelphia has a lively street culture. Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Diversity: Philadelphia is home to people from a variety of backgrounds. Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Connectivity: Philadelphia’s location is accessible to employers and visitors. Source: Thomas Orgren.

INTRODUCTION

WHY PHILLY? With approximately 1.6 million residents, Philadelphia is the sixth-largest city in the United States. Its strategic location between New York City and Washington, D.C. on the Northeast Corridor means that 25 percent of the country’s population lives within 350 miles of the city. Located along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers, Philadelphia is defined by its waterfronts as well as its green spaces, which reflect the city’s heritage. Like many American cities, Philadelphia experienced periods of post-industrial decline and urban renewal that left neighborhoods empty and segregated.

While the city is currently experiencing a growth of jobs and residents, it is still grappling with many of these legacy issues.

While Philadelphia means something different to every resident, it has several universal strengths, including its history, its culture, its diversity, and its connectivity. These strengths make the city well-positioned to take advantage of future trends that will impact the quality of life of urban places.

WHY 2060?

Philadelphia already has a planning framework for 2035, so this plan looks one to two planning cycles beyond that point to think critically about what (and who) the city is ultimately planning for. This gives planners the opportunity to be visionary by imagining how transformative forces could dramatically reshape the city. As a result, Philly2060 identifies the outcomes that Philadelphia should be working towards and proposes specific strategies for achieving them. While this plan, like all plans, is a product of its time, it creates a process for decision-making that could be applied to any set of future conditions.

Philly2060 is a transportation and public realm plan focusing on four key factors shaping Philadelphia in 2060: Climate Change, Mobility, Streets, and Public Space. These factors look at both large-scale systems, like climate change and mobility, and small-scale networks, like streets and public space. Each of these four factors is detailed in a separate chapter that identifies conditions, trends, and strategies unique to that topic. The final chapter illustrates how the combination of interventions across all four sections will transform Philadelphia by 2060. Together, Philly2060 provides a vision of how the City can work to improve Philadelphia over the next 43 years.

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PHILLY 2060

CHALLENGES

Population by Race and Ethnicity

Persisting Racial Segregation

Today, Philadelphia is the fourth-most raciallysegregated city in the country. While the city’s population is only 36% white, jobs, high incomes, quality housing, and other services are concentrated in the city’s predominantly white neighborhoods.

Aging Infrastructure

Like many old cities, Philadelphia’s infrastructure is continually outpaced by technological innovation and the city’s shifting demands. Highways built during urban renewal like Interstate 95 now divide Philadelphia’s neighborhoods and cut residents off from the waterfront. Existing systems for roads, water, and energy need significant investment to benefit residents both now and in the future.

Black* White* Latinx, any race Asian Other or Multiracial 1 dot = 250 residents *Non-Latinx Source: 2015 ACS

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Much of Philadelphia’s infrastructure suffers from deferred maintainence. Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer.

INTRODUCTION

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Chronic Poverty

Philadelphia is the poorest big city in America with about a quarter of all residents living in poverty. Income inequality is represented spatially by the fact that high-income neighborhoods like Society Hill are located in close proximity to low-income neighborhoods like Fairhill.

High Vacancy

Partially as a result of a decline in population and industry and partially as a result of changing land use trends, Philadelphia experiences high vacancy rates in commercial corridors, industrial land, and residential buildings. In addition, the city’s industrial history has left many contaminated and vacant areas. This depresses the city’s economy and makes neighborhoods unsafe.

Loss of population and employment has contributed to significant vacancy. Source: Business Insider.

Median Household Income

Higher

Lower Source: 2015 ACS

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PHILLY 2060

RECENT TRENDS With limited financial resources, Philadelphia has struggled to address these challenges. This is starting to change due to public and private investment, a growing culture of civic activism, and an influx of new residents, many of whom are immigrants. However, not all neighborhoods have benefited equally, with the city experiencing uneven population growth and decline since 2000. This underscores the importance of being mindful of spatial equity by tailoring citywide strategies to the unique conditions of individual places.

Population Change, 2000-2015

Growing Population Growing Population Shrinking Population Source: 2015 ACS

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INTRODUCTION

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Overconfidence in Philadelphia’s industrial economy prevented plans from predicting Philadelphia’s mid-century decline. Source: Thomas Orgren.

PROJECTED GROWTH Most plans use population and employment projections to determine the number and type of strategies that they recommend. However, these projections are often wrong, which leads cities to plan for jobs, residents, and even technologies that never materialize. Instead of working forwards by planning for 2060 from 2017, this plan works backwards by envisioning the larger forces that will have affected Philadelphia by 2060 and developing strategies that will lead to these outcomes. If Philadelphia’s population does not continue to grow as most projections suggest, the strategies detailed in this plan can be adapted to new conditions of population stasis or decline.

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PHILLY 2060

PHILLY MUST...

While the strategies in Philly2060 are not tied to a particular population projection, they are guided by values that provide a framework for decisionmaking. These values are represented by nine planning imperatives:

Promote social, economic, and spatial equity because the historic disinvestment in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color will continue if not addressed.

Prepare for the most severe effects from climate change because it will threaten the city’s residents, economy, and infrastructure.

Produce local sources of renewable energy because non-

renewable energy will not be a sustainable option and non-local production will put the city’s supply at risk.

Grow food locally because changing biomes will disrupt the city’s current food sources.

INTRODUCTION

Invest in its public transit system because it will be the primary intra-city mode of transportation.

Plan proactively for autonomous vehicles because

they will replace traditional motor vehicles and make human driving rare.

Ensure an adequate supply of land for warehousing and distribution because online retail will increase demand

for deliveries.

Support safe walking and biking because these modes

will provide health benefits and will assist the city reduce its carbon footprint.

Create spaces for human connection because technology

will make it easier for people to limit with whom they interact.

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CLIMATE 16

Key Threats

19 Vision

20 Methodology 22 Strategies 26

Vulnerability Analysis

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Next Steps

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Focus Areas

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PHILLY 2060

KEY THREATS WHY 6 FT OF SEA LEVEL RISE?

NOAA’s 2017 High Curve projections show four feet of sea level rise by 2060.3 Due to the possibility of a one-to-two foot king tide on top of that, as well as the longer life cycle of building and infrastructure interventions, this plan prepares for six feet of sea level rise.

It is critical that any long-term plan for Philadelphia prepare for the impacts of climate change, which, by 2060, will jeopardize key facilities, threaten vulnerable populations, and overwhelm the city’s aging infrastructure.

Philadelphia’s climate is expected to become ‘hotter and wetter’ and the city is already experiencing many of these effects; since 2010, Philadelphia has experienced the snowiest winter, two hottest summers, and two wettest years in the city’s history.1

Rising Seas

Even though Philadelphia lies 90 miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean, its location along the tidal Delaware River means that rising seas pose a threat to significant portions of the city. While the actual rate of future sea level rise is unknown, this plan prepares for six feet of sea level rise in Philadelphia by 2060. Even without storm surges, sea level rise will put communities and key facilities at significant risk; with storm surges, entire swaths of the city will be both temporarily and permanently inundated.2

Projected Impact of 6 Feet of Sea Level Rise in Philadelphia

Six feet of sea level rise Plus storm surge from a category one storm Source: NOAA

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CLIMATE

More Frequent and Intense Storms

Philadelphia is already dealing with localized flooding from rain events.

Rising seas mean that any storm will flood more of the city than it does today. In addition, storms will become more frequent and the intensity of precipitation is expected to increase.4 With more than half of the city’s land covered by impervious surfaces, this will worsen existing flooding issues and threaten to overwhelm the city’s aging water infrastructure.5

Increasing Temperatures

Extreme heat is already a leading cause of weather-related mortality in Philadelphia and temperatures are climbing. In 2014, Philadelphia experienced 29 days over 90 degrees, which was ten more than it had in 1990. This is estimated to increase to 58 days per year by 2060 under current emissions scenarios, with the possibility for slower increases under lower emissions scenarios. Not only will heat waves be more frequent, they will also reach higher temperatures and have a longer duration, which poses a significant risk to older residents and people without access to air conditioning.7 Projected temperature increases in Philadelphia. Source: Climate Central.

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URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECT Heat islands are created due to the presence of surfaces that retain more heat than natural vegetation.6 Urban heat island effects make certain areas of the city with high levels of impervious surfaces and low tree cover, like North Philadelphia and West Philadelphia, even hotter than the rest of the city.

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PHILLY 2060

Old power lines, bridges, and transit systems represent the city’s aging infrastructure. Source: Thomas Orgren

Aging Infrastructure

Philadelphia’s infrastructure will not be able to handle the increased burdens from a changing climate. In the face of more frequent storms with greater intensities of precipitation, as well as increased energy demands due to rising temperatures and changing technologies, Philadelphia needs to fundamentally rethink the city’s underlying infrastructure to increase its capacity and make it more resilient.

Philly2060 approaches climate change as an opportunity to improve the lives of Philadelphia’s residents, rather than as a threat to the city’s continued existence. Because there is no one intervention that will mitigate climate impacts such as more higher-heat days, increased precipitation and local flooding, and sea level rise, the city’s response will be a coordinated strategy of interlocking interventions. The science on climate change changes frequently, often for the worse, which means that Philadelphia will be flexible to adapt to new conditions, but will plan for the most extreme scenarios. Since individual behavior changes are a key component to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, climate adaptation and mitigation strategies will not only be visible to the public, but be driven by residents and other local stakeholders.

CLIMATE

In 2060, all residents are insulated from and resilient to the impacts of a changing climate due to adaptation and mitigation measures built on natural systems, energy-efficient technologies, and strong communities.

CLIMATE VISION

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PHILLY 2060

METHODOLOGY Climate change will have a tangible impact on every aspect of the city.

To better understand how to prepare for these impacts in the context of a public realm and transportation plan, this plan identified five typologies that locate the effects of climate change in physical sites: Waterfront Land, Vacant Land, Utilities & Infrastructure, Buildings, and Park Systems.

These five typologies represent opportunities for targeted interventions in the city’s built and natural systems that will strengthen citywide resilience.

They also serve to focus each of this section’s eight strategies, which are applicable throughout the city and keyed to one or more typology. These interventions will reduce the impacts of climate change while improving overall quality of life for all Philadelphians.

Examples of each public space typology. From top: Waterfront land, vacant land, utilities and infrastructure, buildings, park systems.

CLIMATE CLIMATE TYPOLOGIES

WATERFRONT LAND

Land along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers can be redesigned to protect key facilities along the waterfront as well as inland areas.

Strategies 1

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VACANT LAND

Vacant land throughout the city can be strategically repurposed to mitigate heat and flooding, grow food, produce energy, and build community resilience.

Strategies 1

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UTILITIES & INFRASTRUCTURE

Utilities and infrastructure can be reimagined to reduce carbon emissions, decrease impervious surfaces, and protect the city from flooding.

Strategies 1

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BUILDINGS

The city can reduce carbon emissions, heat, and stormwater runoff by increasing efficiency in building design and operations, while using rooftop space to produce energy and food.

Strategies 1

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PARK SYSTEMS

The effective management of open space and the maximization of ecosystem services will be necessary for the city to adapt to new normals caused by heat and flooding.

Strategies 1

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STRATEGIES 1: Maximize Urban Ecosystem Services

Philadelphia will maximize ecosystem services within the city by increasing local tree cover, expanding water retention capacity, and incorporating green and blue infrastructure. The two parts to this strategy involve incorporating these elements into existing parks, rivers, and creeks as well as repurposing streets, vacant land, and building roofs citywide to mitigate heat, flooding, and air quality impacts. Building this integrated network of green and blue systems will reduce the city’s reliance on more conventional infrastructure that could fail during a disaster.

2: Address Legacy of Environmental Degradation

As the former “workshop of the world,” Philadelphia is home to many contaminated sites that are the result of industrialization and development.8 Many of these sites will be at risk of flooding under new climate scenarios. The City will create a prioritized list for remediation that assesses both the level of contamination and the potential hazard to residents and wildlife. In extreme cases, such as the currently active oil refinery, ex situ processes to excavate the contaminated source material and move it to a landfill in a less vulnerable location will be used. In less extreme cases, filtration units will be incorporated into infrastructure to prevent impaired water quality due to contaminated runoff.

3: Reduce Heat-absorbing Surfaces

54 percent of land area in Philadelphia is made up of impervious surfaces, which includes streets, sidewalks, parking lots, and buildings.9 When these surfaces are repaired as part of regularly-scheduled maintenance, they will be replaced with more permeable and heat reflective materials.

This will combat the heat island effect and decrease runoff by retaining stormwater on site. Repurposing vacant sites, street space, and building roofs for more naturalized uses will amplify these efforts.

Permeable paving, reconstructed wetlands and green rooftops all help to accomplish Strategies 1 - 4.

Sources (L to R): Construction Specifier; Zhenya Nalywayko; Flickr user Celia Haven

CLIMATE

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4: Make Room for the Rivers

Natural and engineered protective infrastructure along the waterfront can buffer the city from the impacts of sea level rise. Hard flood defenses, such as dams, levees and dikes, are effective at preventing flooding locally, but are expensive to construct, disruptive to ecosystems, and often displace flooding elsewhere. Soft flood defense tactics, such as wetland restoration, floodplain zoning, and absorbent green stormwater infrastructure, focus on reducing the impacts of a flood and tend to be less expensive to build and maintain.10 Philadelphia will use soft strategies wherever possible, however around key infrastructure such as the Port of Philadelphia, Philadelphia International Airport, and the Navy Yard business district, hard flood defenses will eventually be necessary to prevent inundation.

5: Build Community Resilience

A vital part of developing long-term resilience is creating a culture that recognizes the severity of climate change impacts and appropriate ways to respond to threats. New and existing open spaces are an ideal site for these exchanges because they can model climate-responsive design and facilitate conversation. Another way to educate and build community is to form a climate change education collaborative, which would bring together diverse organizations that promote environmental education in the city. In addition to facilitating discussion between groups with aligned missions, this organization could develop climate education literature, promote Philadelphia-specific data collection, host a seminar series to connect science researchers and educators, and promote climate action campaigns. Using this dual strategy of physical and intangible spaces will educate people and inspire action.

6: Increase Local Food Production

Increasing local food production will provide greater food security to residents, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and increase local awareness of urban agriculture. Philadelphia is already the primary food distribution hub for the Mid-Atlantic region, which gives it a strong foundation on which to build a more sustainable food system.13 The city also has a robust network of community gardens, which will be protected through zoning and supported by other municipal policies. In addition, the City will allow high-yield urban greenhouse farms on building rooftops and currently vacant land, which will provide economic opportunity in addition to a stable food supply.

EDUCATION COLLABORATIVE The Bay Area Climate Literacy Impact Collaborative in San Francisco was formed in 2014 and includes more than 30 organizations that promote environmental education.11

URBAN AGRICULTURE

Countries like England, Germany, and the Netherlands repurpose vacant commercial and industrial buildings in cities as commercial food production facilities.12

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7: Promote Renewable Energy Solutions

In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide a stable supply of energy, Philadelphia needs to produce local sources of renewable energy. The City will take a major step toward reducing carbon emissions by implementing a district heating and cooling system, where hot and cold water is generated in a centralized facility and piped throughout the city. The City will also incentivize the production of renewable energy sources, such as solar power and geothermal energy. Buildings roofs and vacant land will be used to generate solar power by using roofing and siding materials that double as solar panels. The use of geothermal energy to generate heating and cooling will reduce the city’s dependence on natural gas and mitigate its largest source of greenhouse gases with a stable, pollution-free, carbon-neutral source of energy.

Source: Philly.com

The Delaware and Schuylkill River Watersheds

CT PA NJ

MD

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8: Cooperate Regionally

Climate change is not an issue that can be addressed by the city of Philadelphia in isolation. The City will prioritize regional cooperation wherever possible to enable large-scale coordinated water quality improvements, carbon policies, and flood defenses. A comprehensive system of flood defenses, such as a storm-surge barrier at the mouth of the Delaware River, will be far more effective and equitable than a myriad of municipal-level strategies. An elected governing body, such as a regional water authority board, will be established to coordinate flood defenses and enact regulations. Acting regionally will increase positive impacts, save money, and promote a greater understanding of climate change.

A district heating system powered by renewable energy sources could significantly reduce carbon emissions.

CLIMATE Climate Strategies in Context

Waterfront Land Vacant Land Utilities and Infrastructure City-Owned Buildings Park Systems Source: NOAA, Open Data Philly

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VULNERABILITY ANALYSIS The impacts of climate change will not be evenly distributed throughout the city. Philadelphia’s unique land use patterns, social conditions, and natural resources will determine the type, location, and severity of effects.

For example, the area near the confluence of the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers will be deeply impacted by sea level rise because of its low elevation.

Extreme heat and flooding conditions will both be worsened by high levels of impervious surfaces. Philadelphia has high levels of poverty and social inequity that will put certain populations without access to adequate resources at greater risk of exposure to both flooding and heat.

Six key variables were analyzed to understand which areas of the city are the most vulnerable to climate change: • The area most at risk from sea level rise and storm surge • Areas that were historically wetlands • Areas adjacent to steep slopes that are more susceptible to inundation from runoff • Areas of the city that have especially high concentrations of impervious surfaces • The areas of the city experiencing the greatest heat island effects • Areas with the highest concentrations of poverty This vulnerability analysis shows the highest risk areas of the city that should be the city’s priority in implementing the strategies detailed in this plan, namely North Philadelphia and the confluence of the Schuylkill and Delaware rivers. To illustrate how these strategies could transform these high risk areas, this plan shows two focus areas, one in the Logan neighborhood in North Philadelphia and one along the South Philadelphia waterfront. These focus areas demonstrate how citywide strategies can be implemented to respond to the unique conditions of individual sites.

Flooding along the Schuylkill River damages infrastructure and restricts circulation. Source: Bicycle Coalition.

CLIMATE Vulnerability Analysis Map

More Vulnerable

Less Vulnerable Source: NOAA, Open Data Philly

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FOCUS AREAS Logan Triangle

TYPOLOGIES

This focus area integrates interventions outlined in the Vacant Land, Utilities & Infrastructure, Buildings, and Park Systems typologies. This site stood out in the vulnerability analysis because of the high amount of impervious surface, presence of heat islands, and concentration of poverty in the area.

There have been many proposals to develop a master plan for the vacant Logan Triangle site. However, the community will benefit more from a combination of minimal new development and expanded open space, given the fact that much of this land is not suitable for extensive development and these residents are extremely vulnerable to heat island effects. This proposal combines ecological restoration, educational programming, and transportation interventions to turn Logan Triangle and the surrounding neighborhood into a model of climate-responsive landscape design and climate change literacy. This site illustrates how planning for climate change with social justice in mind represents an opportunity to close a long-standing equity gap in Philadelphia that will benefit all residents.

Strategies 1

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Future Land Uses Urban Forest Meadow Intermittent Pond New Development

Improved Recreation Area

Points of Interest Capped Highway Green Streets Climate Education Center

Linear Community Garden

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CLIMATE

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Remove Transportation Barriers

Logan residents have consistently asked for more quality open space and recreation facilities in their neighborhood. While Hunting Park is a great resource, it is largely inaccessible to residents due to the presence of Roosevelt Boulevard, one of the most dangerous streets in Philadelphia.

Sinking and capping the boulevard will connect Hunting Park to the new Logan Triangle meadow, maximizing the cooling and air quality benefits of both sites. Similarly, removing West Courtland Street through the Logan Triangle site and West Hunting Park Avenue through the middle of Hunting Park will reduce impervious surface and provide land to create natural systems. Lastly, climate interventions will be extended into the community through a network of green streets. Together, these interventions will reduce the urban heat island effect and drastically transform the cohesion of the neighborhood.

A capped highway reconnects a neighborhood to a nearby park. Source: Nat’l Surface Trans. Policy & Revenue Comm.

Create New Natural Systems

Logan is an ideal location to maximize ecosystem services by enhancing existing natural features and introducing new ones. In the central part of the Logan Triangle site, a naturalized meadow will provide open space for residents and habitat for wildlife while an intermittent pond will collect runoff during heavy rain events. Around the perimeter of Hunting Park, an urban forest will be planted to cool the air, store carbon, and better manage stormwater onsite. Lastly, transforming the abandoned North Penn rightof-way into a linear community garden will provide a local source of food for residents. This combination of interventions will provide numerous benefits for residents by sequestering carbon, managing stormwater, improving air quality, reducing urban heat island effects, and promoting biodiversity.

Encourage Sensitive New Development

The Wissahickon urban forest provides ecosystem services to the nearby area. Source: East Falls Local.

The northernmost and southernmost areas of the Logan Triangle site have the least amount of fill and are a 10-minute walk from the Wyoming station on the Broad Street Line, which make them ideal for new development.

The construction of infill residential buildings will provide energy-efficient and affordable housing that also maintains the architectural character of the neighborhood. This proposal also includes building an environmental education center to increase the climate literacy of residents. The center can host programs and organizations such as a climate change education collaborative and a climate ambassador program, which will empower residents to respond to impacts from climate change and will build community resilience.

An environmental education center in Wilmington, DE Source: Riverfront Wilmington.

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PHILLY 2060

Southern Waterfront

TYPOLOGIES

This focus area integrates interventions in all five typologies. This site stood out in the vulnerability analysis because of significant flood threats, high impervious surface cover, and the area’s natural history as wetlands.

This focus area addresses the part of the city most vulnerable to sea level rise at the confluence of the Schuylkill and Delaware rivers in South Philadelphia. This area is home to many of the city’s most vital economic and transportation centers, including the Navy Yard, Philadelphia International Airport, and the Port of Philadelphia. However, much of the land area is currently occupied by industries that will likely have declined significantly by 2060 due to changes in transportation and energy economies, such as car dealerships, parking lots, and petroleum refineries. This proposal applies significant environmental remediation, ecosystem naturalization, and carbon-neutral energy strategies to create a “Green Gateway” along the waterfront that protects the city’s assets and showcases its response to climate change.

Strategies 1

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New Infrastructure

Future Land Uses Wetlands

Residential

Recreational Trails

Energy Generation

Industry

Levees

Growth Areas

Agriculture

High Water Channel

Transportation

Solar Wetlands Potential Geothermal Site

Floodable Rowing Venue

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Restore Wetlands

While much of this land was originally wetlands, today the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge near the Philadelphia International Airport is the only remnant of this land type. Remediating land in low-lying areas and restoring it to a naturalized wetland state will create a natural buffer as large as Fairmount Park that will serve as a flood defense, expand wildlife habitat, and provide recreational opportunities for Philadelphia residents.

Produce Renewable Energy

The Philadelphia Energy Solutions oil refinery is unlikely to be productive in 2060 due to decreased demand for fossil fuels. Once the site is remediated, it will be repurposed for renewable energy production. Philadelphia can take advantage of its high groundwater levels to implement a municipal geothermal district heating and cooling system. Newly-created wetlands will also host solar panels, which will supplement the city’s energy needs during periods of peak demand.

A high water channel safely diverts floodwaters away from important infrastructure. Source: Jan Roerink Photography.

Protect From Flooding

While a strategic retreat from the waterfront is necessary in some parts of Philadelphia, the airport, the Navy Yard, and Eastwick are too valuable to relocate. To protect these areas from flood hazards, the city will implement a system of soft and hard flood defenses, such as wetlands and levees. Part of the former oil refinery site will be repurposed as floodable recreational infrastructure, such as a rowing venue that would temporarily detain floodwaters while building on the sport’s long local tradition.

Grow and Distribute Food

The city’s economy will still demand space for food distribution and warehousing in 2060, so some industrial land in this area must be preserved for those uses. Vacant land near the existing food distribution center in South Philadelphia will be used for high-yield urban greenhouse agriculture. Reducing the city’s dependence on food imports by growing food locally on an industrial scale will improve food system resilience and increase economic output.

Wetlands serve as flood protection, wildlife habitat, and recreational space. Source: Wikipedia Commons.

Identify Climate Action Partners

Working with upstream and downstream communities will amplify the city’s investments along the waterfront. By acting in tandem with municipalities in the Schuylkill River watershed to decrease runoff from agriculture and stormwater, the City will improve water quality to make the Schuylkill a recreational asset. In addition, Philadelphia will work with other governments to protect communities along the tidal Delaware River from severe storm surges by creating a regional system of levees as well as a storm surge barrier that can be closed during intense storms.

A high-yield urban farm in The Hague, Netherlands. Source: National Geographic.

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GETTING STARTED Outcomes like these are achievable, but they take dedicated resources and a different attitude toward the environment. Philadelphia needs to start taking action now to become more resilient to a changing climate.

Five initial steps to get started include:

CLIMATE

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Rezone all community gardens as open space to protect from future development. Philadelphia has a strong existing network of community gardens that promote nutrition and community engagement, but they are at risk due to pressure from development. Zoning these gardens as open space would protect them from this threat and ensure their long-term ability to function as a valuable community resource.

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Conduct a feasibility study for a municipal district heating system. A feasibility analysis should investigate using a municipal district heating system to heat City-owned properties, as well as the potential to offer service to residents. The study should also investigate integrating a district heating component into SEPTA’s proposed natural gas plants to reduce heating costs and carbon-emissions in surrounding neighborhoods.

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Create a climate change education collaborative. The work of local environmental organizations could be amplified if they shared best practices. Parks and Recreation could serve as the backbone organization, bringing together various climate-focused organizations in Philadelphia to educate people about the science of climate change and how to respond to its impacts.

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Work with neighboring jurisdictions to form a regional governing body.

Philadelphia must work with other municipalities, counties, and states to combat the effects of climate change. One strategy for regional cooperation is to create a regional government that is organized along natural systems. Collaboration will amplify the impact of individual organizations and agencies.

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Launch a system of strategic buyouts along the waterfront for conversion to constructed wetlands. A strong system of natural buffers along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers will protect from sea level rise and storm surge. The City should proactively acquire land as it becomes available by identifying high-priority sites and working with municipal agencies as well as landowners to negotiate the sale of this land.

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MOBILITY 36 38

Existing Conditions Future Trends

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Focus Areas

Getting Started

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PHILLY 2060

EXISTING CONDITIONS Vehicle Ownership Growth in Registered Vehicles in Philadelphia. Source: PennDOT.

700k

Limited Useful Transit

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250k 0

Over the last 15 years Philadelphia has seen a 30 percent increase in car ownership, which has worsened congestion, particularly in Center City where narrow streets significantly limit the capacity of vehicles.14

2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016

Philadelphia is served by an extensive transit system; however, service is concentrated to certain parts of the city during rush hour, creating inequalities for some neighborhoods and residents who work late at night. The map on the right shows the many neighborhoods that lack access to useful transit, which provides frequent, affordable, and reliable services.

Insufficient Funding Percentage of Capital Funding from Local Sources. Source: 2014 Nat’l Transit Database.

The lack of locally sourced funding is the primary limitation to the sustainability of the Philadelphia transportation system. For example, SEPTA, the region’s transit operator, is largely dependent on the State for funding. This makes transit operations, maintenance, and capital vulnerable to political shifts.15

MOBILITY

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Existing Transit Assets

Underserved by Infrequent and Expensive Regional Rail

USEFUL TRANSIT

Underserved by Surface Transit

Useful transit is defined as affordable, frequent, and reliable transit service. This analysis shows areas with average frequencies longer than 20 minutes between 6am and 10pm.

Existing Rapid Transit Existing Regional Rail Useful Transit Deserts Source: DVRPC, SEPTA

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FUTURE TRENDS Autonomous vehicle implementation timeline.

2020

Partial automation

> most private vehicles

Full automation

> some private & public transit

2025

Full AVs likely available on private market

2030

Full AVs likely dominate private market

2060 Humans unlikely

Autonomous Vehicles are Imminent In 2060, people are unlikely to drive. The transition to autonomous vehicles (AVs) will fundamentally alter transportation systems and the experience of using them. There are still hurdles to the full-scale roll-out of AVs, but it’s a matter of when those challenges are solved, not if they will be.

AVs will impact mobility by decreasing the cost of travel, leading to an increased profitability of transit, inviting more private competition but added opportunity for investment. AVs will also bring transformative increases in mobility for people, particularly for those that were previously unable to drive vehicles. Lastly, the reduced costs associated with AVs will also increased demand for travel and create incentives to increase vehicle miles traveled (VMT). This would ultimately exacerbate the trend of increase in car ownership, causing more congestion and sprawl.

to drive

Implications of autonomous vehicle technology.

MOBILITY

In 2060, every citizen in Philadelphia has access to useful public transit, flexible private transit, and is no longer reliant on private automobiles, regardless of where they live in the city.

MOBILITY VISION

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METHODOLOGY To achieve the vision of a shared mobility future, this plan defines a framework of modal prioritization for future investments and policies concerning Philadelphia’s transportation system (see right).

Ultimately, this plan sets out nine strategies specific to mobility that will put Philadelphia on the path towards a more equitable, efficient, and sustainable transportation system, in terms of movement, financial resiliency, and fairness. Attention is paid particularly to how the transportation system affects those with the most need: third-shift (nondaylight hours) workers, low-income residents, and those with disabilities.

WHAT IS SHARED MOBILITY?

Shared mobility is the principle that one’s choices for transportation should be built around options that do not require a large personal investment and instead should make use of transportation resources that can be shared by all. In practice, shared mobility is operational in a menu format: someone can take public transit to and from work every day, bike share to the farmer’s market, private transit to get home from the bar, and a multi-day car share to go to the beach.

MOBILITY SHARED MOBILITY PRIORITIZATION FRAMEWORK PUBLIC TRANSIT

The highest priority use for transportation across the city is the public transit system. This is the most efficient, equitable, and sustainable mode and should therefore be the number one priority for investments and policies.

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PRIVATE TRANSIT

Defined as an evolution of ride-hailing such as Uber, private transit is seen as a flexible transport solution with fewer externalities than private vehicles but less efficient than public transit.

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GOODS DISTRIBUTION

Vehicles used for freight movement are vitally important to a city, though they can impose significant externalities on the communities they move through.

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PRIVATE VEHICLES

The least efficient transportation mode remains the private vehicle due to intense use of street space and the large amount of space needed for parking at home, work, and any other destination.

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STRATEGIES Proposed Automation Schedule.

9: Automate Transit

AV technology will significantly reduce the cost of transit operations, as 78 percent of SEPTA’s budget is currently spent on labor.16 This will also make providing transit service more profitable. Private actors will enter the market of private transit, capitalizing on the success of Uber and Lyft. Public transit agencies will need to automate to stay financially viable and ensure that every citizen has access to affordable, frequent and reliable services.

The timeline on the left is a proposed road map for the automation of SEPTA transit. By implementing upgrades during the natural vehicle purchase cycle, cost savings can be funneled into more extensive operations and fare reductions, particularly for low-income citizens.

This will also allow drivers to retire out of the system gradually instead of necessitating widespread layoffs. To make this possible, infrastructure upgrades will be needed in anticipation of major vehicle turnover periods, which will require planning well in advance.

10: Improve Neighborhood Surface Transit

Future Bus Concept. Source: Mercedes-Benz.

Improving surface transit will knit the city together and provide faster and cheaper access to opportunities across the city. This will be achieved by investing in autonomous, high capacity bus service that runs frequently on redesigned major arterials. Frequencies of service are determined based on the tier levels assigned to these arterials, ranging from every three minutes at peak in Tier 1 routes to every seven to ten minutes at peak in Tier 3 routes. Vehicle automation technology and decreased stop spacing will allow for this frequency of service. Tier 1 routes function as rapid transit in their own right, with Tier 2 and 3 routes largely serving connections to other rapid transit routes.

11: Transform Regional Rail

By upgrading Regional Rail into Urban Rail, Philadelphia can capitalize on legacy infrastructure to create a high frequency transit network serving both the city and the region. With base frequencies at one hour, reaching a maximum of 20 minutes during peak travel times, flexible access to northern neighborhoods is limited. Investments in level platforms, new vehicles, and smart signaling will improve frequencies to below 15 minutes on many routes throughout the day. Fares will be reduced to match other transit lines in the city, adding options for riders who currently endure longer bus travel to save money. This will fully utilize existing infrastructure and boost the mobility of residents to reach new opportunities around the city and region.

MOBILITY

12: Expand Rapid Transit

Apart from improving service based on existing infrastructure, new transportation infrastructure is also needed to increase mobility for every resident, as the Market-Frankford El is nearing capacity and buses compete with vehicles on clogged and narrow Center City Streets. By expanding rapid transit, Philadelphia will be able to make high-return investments in neighborhoods that are dense, previously undeserved by existing transit, and are less vulnerable to sea level rise. First, the Locust Street Tunnel extension will connect Port Authority Transit Corporation (PATCO) and south-bound Broad Street trains to University City. Second, a new north-south Market West Line will extend from Strawberry Mansion in the north to Grays Ferry in the south. This will be fed by Urban Rail trains running on the existing freight rail viaduct on 25th Street in South Philly and a new tunnel through Center City and North Philly.

Chesnut Hill Jenkintown

Manayunk

Thorndale

Cynwyd Center City Angorra

Fox Chase

Wayne Junction North Philadelphia Lehigh Temple

University City

Airport

The Future of Regional Rail.

Rapid Transit Expansion Map.

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High Frequency Route

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PHILLY 2060

Strategy 13: Optimize Goods Distribution

While investment in public transit is critical, the efficient movement of goods is another prerequisite for mobility on streets as well as for reclamation of streets, as proposed in the Streets section of this plan. A network of distribution centers should be built on former industrial land near import and export nodes like highway off-ramps, ports, and rail yards.

Goods will be transferred from these centers to smaller delivery vehicles that can nimbly move through urban streets, eliminating large trucks.

SHARED MOBILITY

Research shows that the more people use shared modes, the more likely they are to use public transit, not own a car, and spend less on transportation. 17

Strategy 14: Regulate Private Parking

Little is known about how vehicle automation will impact parking. To ensure the best possible outcome, a new parking policy and revenue structure will be required. This will consist of: • Restriction on location of new parking structures, based on suitability analysis • Parking maximums in high density, transit-oriented zoned areas • Taxation of private vehicle off-street parking spots, relative to their value The implementation of this set of regulations will optimize the efficiency of the parking system, incentivize shared mobility choices over private vehicles, and raise revenue to expand limited funding sources for improving the transportation system.

Parking regulations to limit private vehicles.

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Strategy 15: Price Vehicle Usage

To limit the number of AVs on streets and guard against the negative externalities that AVs may generate, this plan proposes to use a Vehicle Usage Pricing Scheme to redistribute the costs of travel by cars and public transit. A vehicle usage fee will be collected based on VMT, modified by occupancy on a per-trip basis to curtail the use of cars and incentivize the use of rail transit. This will ensure that privately owned, Zero-Occupancy Vehicles (ZOVs) will be priced at the highest tier. Pricing decreases for Single Occupancy Private Vehicles, then Multiple Occupancy Private Vehicles, and lastly private transit. This price tiering will encourage greater use of transit options.

This revenue will then be used to develop the infrastructure needed for Philadelphia’s smart traffic control system that integrates Internet of Things (IoT) technology. The revenue could also be used to fund upgrades to transit system. The interactions among the usage fee, the users, and the physical transportation system through the vehicle usage pricing scheme will facilitate a positive feedback loop for improving mobility.

INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT)

“The Internet of Things (IoT) is the network of physical devices, vehicles, home appliances, and other items embedded with electronics, software, sensors, actuators, and network connectivity which enable these objects to connect and exchange data.”18

Strategy 16: Enhance Mobility in Central Philadelphia

To limit growth in car ownership and improve the efficiency of surface transit, traffic cordons will be installed around central Philadelphia. This cordon will charge a high fee for private AVs. Vehicles entering the cordons will pay a surcharge dynamically priced on traffic demand and mode. This will gradually phase to a complete ban for private vehicles in the Urban Core Zone, which will be addressed in detail in the Streets section of the plan.

Mobility Cordon Zone.

Pricing vehicle usage in Philadelphia in 2060

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Strategy 17: Rethink Urban Highways

AVs will have profound effects on the system of transportation infrastructure. Efficiency increases will be concentrated on highways due to faster speeds and decreased vehicle spacing, without constraints imposed by passenger loading and vulnerable users. Virtually every highway will need major rebuilding between now and 2060, and as this occurs, the function of the highway and its role in the surrounding communities should evolve.

The approach to rebuilding highways going forward should address the changing needs brought by AVs, reflect holistic planning values, and heal the remnants of highway construction and urban renewal of the past.

First, highways should include interactive automated transit lanes that are assigned based on real-time demand to promote shared mobility while ensuring efficient movement of private vehicles. Second, rebuilding efforts should mitigate the existing disruption highways pose to ecosystems and neighborhoods.

A critical component of the greater Philadelphia region’s highway system is I-76, which serves as the primary corridor of travel between Philadelphia and King of Prussia and is currently synonymous with congestion. In 2060, I-76 will be re-imagined as a high capacity vehicle corridor with interactive lanes that reflect the real-time demand for east- and west-bound traffic.

The proposed eco bridge crossing over I-76 next to West Fairmount Park can increase connectivity to the waterfront for activities of people and other species.

I-76 Rethink in Fairmount Park.

Reconnect Ecosystems Divided by Highways Incorporate Autonomous Technology and Transit

MOBILITY Mobility Strategies in Context

Expanded Rapid Transit Enhanced Surface Transit Transformed Regional Rail Existing Regional Rail Existing Rapid Transit

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FOCUS AREAS These nine strategies will dramatically change the way Philadelphians move through the city. An expanded Useful Transit network will create shared mobility choices for everyone. Better regulation of private vehicles and parking will also shift demand towards public and private transit.

To better demonstrate how these strategies are implemented in specific locations, this plan presents two focus areas: the Grays Ferry Crescent and Strawberry Mansion.

Grays Ferry

The Grays Ferry Crescent is located on a bend in the Schuylkill River south of University City. Its landscape is defined by transportation infrastructure, including I-76, freight rail, and surface arterials.

In 2060, Grays Ferry will benefit from major investments in the transit system, with the 34th Street Bridge becoming a major bus rapid transit route (Tier 1) that runs every three minutes, serving trips into University City. The Eastern portion of the neighborhood will be in walking distance to the new Market West Line, offering rapid, frequent rail trips into 30th Street Station and Center City. A green buffer along I-76 will be built to absorb air and noise pollution from the highway and integrate ecosystem services into transportation infrastructure.

The western edge of Gray’s Ferry is a prime candidate for the development of a distribution center. Due to the neighborhood’s location near major area highways, large trucks can easily access the distribution center with minimal disruption to the neighborhood and city.

Strawberry Mansion

Located in North Philadelphia, Strawberry Mansion is a neighborhood rich in culture and history but limited by systemic poverty and poor transit options. Access to the neighborhood is largely cut off from the city due to the Northeast Corridor rail cut on the South and East, Fairmount Park to the West, and various other rail infrastructure to the North.

In 2060, Strawberry Mansion will be served by the new Market West Line, routed under 29th Street through the neighborhood, as well as an expansion of surface transit to West Lehigh Avenue, Diamond Street, and North 21st Street. These investments will benefit residents by providing them much faster access to jobs in Center City and University City.

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Grays Ferry .

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Strawberry Mansion.

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GETTING STARTED Outcomes like these are achievable, but they take an engaged public, dedicated resources, and long-range planning. Philadelphia needs to start taking action now to create a movement for a shared mobility future. Five initial steps to get started include:

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Conduct a Rapid Transit Feasibility Study. To begin the transit expansion proposed in Strategy 12, the City should initiate a study to identify the barriers, costs, and benefits to making large-scale transit investments.

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Create 10-Year Regional Rail Improvement Plan. The City should prioritize Regional Rail improvements in the planning agenda for the next ten years. The roll-out of SEPTA Key and the Center City Commuter Tunnel allow for the Regional Rail System to be transformed into Urban Rail, expanding the footprint of rapid transit dramatically in communities with little useful transit today.

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Develop Transit Automation Strategy. Acting early to identify and plan for the barriers to transit automation should allow a much more equitable transition for the workforce and provide a more seamless experience for riders. There are a multitude of unknowns to running an autonomous transit system, but early adoption and innovation will allow Philadelphia to be a world leader in the future of transit.

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Establish an Innovative Streets Working Group. The City needs to evolve internally to adapt to the changing nature of streets and transportation expected to occur. The Working Group should explore public-private innovation projects around vehicle automation and smart traffic control system implementation.

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Implement a Surface Transit Improvement Program. While automation will brings many unknowns to transit planning, there are fundamental improvements to the surface transit system that can anticipate. Transit shelters and next-to-arrive screens, ADA accessible stations, and better data collection and consumer interface products will provide a better experience for riders.

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Existing Conditions Future Trends

57 Vision

58 Methodology 60 Strategies 66 72

Focus Areas

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EXISTING CONDITIONS The Street Grid

Philadelphia’s gridded street network has been a central part of the city’s identity since 1682, when William Penn initially planned the city from Vine Street to Pine Street between the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers.19 Many of the city’s streets were laid out before the rise of the automobile, and their narrowness limits the volume of traffic that can move through Philadelphia’s core; it also creates a walkable, human-scale environment.

The regularity of the grid has since weakened as the city has expanded and densities have decreased.

William Penn’s Plan for Philadelphia. Source: UCI.

1970s Schuylkill Expressway. Source: H. A. Roberts.

Median Parking on South Broad St. Source: Philly.com.

Changing Priorities with Changing Technology

The prioritization of street space within Philadelphia has always evolved with available transportation technologies. In the late-nineteenth century, the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company built trolley lines that followed much of the city’s street network; many of these trolley lines became bus routes by the mid-twentieth century.20 By the time the 1960 Comprehensive Plan was released, the city shifted towards car-centric planning efforts focused on bringing suburban residents into Center City as efficiently as possible.21 These new priorities focused on the economic opportunities that large highway projects could provide without taking into consideration the impacts they would have on the public realm and land use across the city.

Street Space

Today, Philadelphia has 2,575 miles of streets that vary in character from the residential and pedestrian Elfreth’s Alley to the major arterial Roosevelt Boulevard. Occupying 19% of the city’s land area, streets and sidewalks comprise the majority of Philadelphia’s public space.22 Maintenance of these spaces is complex, as roads, sidewalks, curbs, and street trees are all the responsibility of different city agencies. One aspect that is consistent across much of Philadelphia is the high priority given to on-street parking.

Parking demand, coupled with a 30% increase in passenger vehicle registrations since 2000, will continue to strain Philadelphia’s already limited street space.

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Active Modes

Philadelphia has a strong walking and biking culture, with bike commuting more than doubling since 2000. This trend has led to an increased demand for multi-modal street design, compelling the city to create a Complete Streets Design Handbook in 2012 and an Office of Complete Streets in 2016.23 Currently, there are 446 miles of bike lanes in Philadelphia, but given the city’s entrenched car culture, making changes to streets is difficult both in terms of physical space and political opposition.

50%

of all traffic deaths occur on

The vast majority of road space in Philadelphia is currently dedicated to either the movement or storage of private motor vehicles, which only perpetuates the demand and dependency for them. The City can utilize reclaimed street space not only for alternative modes of transportation, but for improving the public realm and adding utility to streets.

12%

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Vision Zero

In 2017, as part of its focus on complete streets, Philadelphia took steps to address traffic safety by releasing a Vision Zero Action Plan.24 This plan identified that the biggest safety issues occur on large car-centric roads. In Philadelphia, 50% of all traffic deaths and severe injuries occurred on just 12% of Philadelphia streets, named the High Injury Network. Many of these streets are concentrated in low income neighborhoods and communities of color in West and North Philly.

High-Injury Network

High-Injury Streets Source: City of Philadelphia

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Without action, in 2060 there will be many competing demands for streetspace.

Private AVs

Pedestrians

Delivery Vehicles

Shared AVs

Delivery Robots

FUTURE TRENDS Demand for Street Space

Several forces are driving an increased demand for street space that will continue moving forward in the future. More space is being allocated to street furniture, sidewalk cafes, and stormwater management, like green stormwater infrastructure (GSI). Continued complete streets efforts will require more space for pedestrians and bicycles. Increased online shopping will lead to more smaller delivery vehicles and more space for loading zones.

Technology

Parking

GSI & Vegetation

Perhaps the most disruptive force that will alter Philadelphia’s streets are autonomous vehicles (AVs). AVs will cause tremendous pressure for streets to adapt as the new technology is adopted by more and more people. Philadelphia can harness this opportunity to alter streets and shift priority away from cars and towards pedestrians, bikes, transit, and shared mobility.

Bikes

STREETS

In 2060, Philadelphia streets are places that people stay in, rather than just move through.

Streets serve the public realm and transportation network. They are accessible, flexible, and useful for every resident and visitor.

STREETS VISION

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METHODOLOGY In 2060, Philadelphia’s streets can be categorized into one of five typologies, Moving, Meeting, Living, Playing, and Distributing. Although no two streets will be identical – and will look different in various neighborhoods and densities – these typologies are a tool for understanding how the function of a street changes based on its character. Overall, streets will serve a hierarchy that prioritizes the most vulnerable street users first, with public and private transit next, and private vehicles last. Regardless of the primary mode, streets will be designed to provide an attractive public realm and be safe for all users.

MILEAGE OF STREETS BY TYPOLOGY

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miles of Meeting Streets

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miles of Playing Streets

miles of Distributing Streets

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total miles of streets

STREETS STREET TYPOLOGIES MOVING

Moving streets are for efficiently and safely transporting people around the city no matter the mode.

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MEETING

Meeting streets are destinations, gathering members of the community for commercial and office activity.

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LIVING

Living streets balance vehicle and transit movement with public and semi-public gathering spaces for residents.

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Playing streets are transformed in their primary function: they are reserved for social gatherings, like block parties, as well as physical recreation for block residents.

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DISTRIBUTING

Distributing streets are designed to facilitate the movement of goods inter- and intra-city. They are wide enough to ensure truck access and are well-connected to highways.

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Vehicle Lanes

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STRATEGIES 18: Eliminate On-Street Parking

21st Street

Fitzwater Street

20th Street

Philadelphia’s streets dedicate significant space to on-street parking.

Catharine Street

Philadelphia currently dedicates a considerable amount of street space to on-street parking. By 2060, shared AVs will allow fewer cars to serve more people with point-to-point transit. AVs will be able to transport themselves to riders, decreasing the importance of proximity to parking. On-street parking capacity could be replaced with more space-efficient garages, as AVs are able to park much closer together.

Utilizing former on-street parking space for other purposes – both public space and transportation – will allow streets to better serve people.

19: Ban Private Cars in the Urban Core Zone

Center City and University City are the historic, cultural, and economic centers of Philadelphia.

These areas have unique public realms: Center City has many streets that are hundreds of years old, and University City is home to several campus environments. This Urban Core Zone – defined as the area between Vine Street and South Street from the Delaware River to 38th Street – will continue to be the primary center of economic growth. The capacity of this zone’s streets will be stressed if private car usage is allowed. Removing private cars from the Urban Core Zone will create an inviting public realm, while still efficiently moving people through Philadelphia’s economic center in shared AVs, transit, and active transportation modes.

A mobility cordon zone will gradually phase to a private car ban in the Urban Core Zone.

20: Create a Network of Separated-Mode Arterials

To be able to reclaim street space for public spaces, it is essential that arterials allow for the quick travel of AVs and surface transit. These arterials, along with I-76, I-676, and I-95, will be the primary means of travel across the city, while other typologies will provide first- and last-block connections. To ensure safety and efficiency on high-speed arterials, modes will be separated.

More efficient autonomous transit vehicles and the lack of on-street parking will also create additional public space on these streets.

STREETS Network of Separated-Mode Arterials

Moving Streets Distributing Streets Highways Source: City of Philadelphia

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21: Allow for Shared Streets

Injuries and fatalities on Philadelphia’s streets can be drastically reduced by allowing shared-mode streets in residential and commercial areas.

Cyclists, pedestrians, and vehicles can comfortably share these rights-ofway with design elements that encourage slow vehicle traffic, which has been proven to increase pedestrian and cyclist safety. The capacity of AVs to sense bicyclists and pedestrians and strictly follow slow speed limits further ensures everyone’s safety.

WHAT IS A SHARED STREET?

Source: washington.org.

Commercial Shared Streets

Shared streets in commercial areas are geared towards the businesses that front these streets. They often feature outdoor seating for these businesses in addition to public spaces, and are aimed at bringing people from around a neighborhood or city together.

Source: flickr.

Residential Shared Streets

Shared streets in residential neighborhoods, like the above in Europe, are designed to provide calmed traffic and pleasant living conditions for the residents of that street, and commonly feature areas for children to play, seating to rest, and green spaces for a more pleasant environment.

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22: Utilize Reclaimed Right-of-Way as Public Space

By reclaiming space in the right-of-way from vehicles, a significant amount of public land can be used to create new public spaces that prioritize people. The minority and low-income neighborhoods that have historically lacked access to public space will especially benefit from these additional spaces. On meeting streets, this space will allow for more street furniture zones and other public and private amenities. In residential areas, public space in the right-of-way can serve as a civic space where neighbors can come together. Smaller residential streets will discourage through-traffic by design, creating permanent play streets, while enabling pick ups, drop-offs, and access for emergency vehicles if necessary.

23: Design Streets that are Responsive to Philadelphia’s Environmental Needs

When redesigning streets for 2060, Philadelphia has the opportunity to decrease the amount of impervious surface and better incorporate streets into the natural environment. When streets are resurfaced, the City will use pavers to create a more permeable surface that is easier to maintain than asphalt. Furthermore, reclaimed rights-of-way can be used for green stormwater infrastructure in low-lying areas that have the capacity to absorb water. Planting trees and vegetation along all streets will improve air quality and increase the absorptive capacity of these previously impervious areas. When siting green infrastructure, vegetation, and areas that experience heat island effects will be prioritized, as identified in the Climate section.

Buses on moving streets will have their own dedicated right of way. Source: WikiZero.

Permeable pavers to help meet environmental needs. Source: CityLab.

Streets with Added Public Space

Added Public Space Source: City of Philadelphia

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Public Space

Street Furniture Zone

Commercial Space

DAYTIME NIGHTTIME

Delivery Vehicles

WHEN ARE DELIVERIES ALLOWED?

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The Off-Hours Delivery Program encourages Manhattan deliveries to occur between 7:00pm and 6:00am. Source: NYC.gov.

Sustainable Streets Index 2010

24: Facilitate Deliveries with Dedicated Space and Time Requirements

Streets will need to facilitate deliveries in a way that is not disruptive to traffic. In the Urban Core Zone, most commercial deliveries will be permitted from 8:00pm to 5:00am and on weekends. Alternative modes of delivery, such as bicycle deliveries and drones, can occur at any time off the sidewalk. Laybys, areas on the side of a road where vehicles may pull off the road and stop, will be included in streeet design to allow space for delivery vehicles and pedestrian loading. If a vehicle makes an onstreet stop, use of laybys is required. In industrial areas, access for truck deliveries will be a crucial component of competitiveness. Street design in industrial priority areas will ensure that trucks can still easily maneuver and have sufficient highway access.

STREETS Streets Strategies in Context

Moving Streets Meeting Streets Living Streets Playing Streets Distributing Streets Highways Source: City of Philadelphia

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FOCUS AREAS Urban Core Zone

WHY A PRIVATE CAR BAN? Philadelphia’s density is highest in the Urban Core Zone, creating the highest demand for space. Limiting the amount of vehicles in this zone creates more public space and enables greater flexibility on these streets

Congestion pricing exists in cities like London, but others, like Oslo, are already implementing a ban on private vehicles downtown. Source: WikiMedia Commons.

As mentioned in Strategy 19, in 2060 Philadelphia’s urban core will include University City, in addition to Center City. Within the Urban Core Zone, only people, bicycles, public and private transit will be allowed. Private vehicles will only be allowed to move through the Urban Core Zone on separated highways such as I-76, I-676, and I-95. For this to work, the city must have a flexible definition of transit in the future that empowers both public and private operators and promotes higher vehicle capacity. Limiting the modes allowed in the Urban Core Zone will enable the improvement of the public realm and the convenience of travel in the area. A range of street types will exist in the Urban Core Zone including moving streets, meant to move people and transit in and through the area.

Meeting Street in Center City

While the face of retail is likely to change by 2060 because of an increase in online shopping and on demand delivery, commercial corridors will remain an important component of the Urban Core Zone and will be important public spaces and community gathering locations. Vehicles — especially for pick up, drop off, delivery, and emergencies — will be allowed on meeting streets, but the primary focus will be on nurturing a public realm conducive to community and interaction. In order to promote this atmosphere, much of the street will be reclaimed, whether it be for parklets, street furniture, or play spaces. Residents and visitors will gain substantial space for outdoor activities and people will have more room to engage and connect. Many meeting streets in the Urban Core Zone will also include temporal closures at various times of day. For example, Chestnut Street could regularly be closed on Friday evenings to further utilize space for programming and activities.

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The Urban Core Zone encompasses what is currently Center City and University City.

Vine St Race

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Public realm enhancements will be implemented at intersections

Moving Streets

Pedestrians and public space will be prioritized when streets meet

Intersections at Moving streets will prioritize transit riders

PINE ST Pedestrians are prioritized on Playing streets

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Kingsessing

Meeting streets, like Woodland Avenue, prioritize the public realm, benefiting people and business.

All modes are seperated on a moving street

13’

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This Southwest Philadelphia neighborhood has high residential densities and is served by multiple trolley lines, some of which run along vital commercial corridors. By putting a greater emphasis on people, these streets can remain important transit lines while becoming more inviting and accessible commercial districts. Trolleys are a unique asset to Philadelphia and will likely still remain in 2060. Therefore, they must be incorporated into the future function of streets and utilized to their greatest potential. These transit and commercial corridors are closely tied to the compact residential streets composing most of Kingsessing.

In 2060, it is important that all neighborhoods in Philadelphia have access to exciting places to play and congregate aside from parks. Reclaiming street space that is currently designated for automobiles to create more reliable transit and more pedestrian space can help accomplish this for neighborhoods like Kingsessing.

Woodland Avenue - Meeting Street

Source: Flickr

RUBBER-FILLED FLANGEWAYS Riding a bike in the right of way with trolleys is currently problematic and will be remedied on streets like Woodland Avenue by installing rubber filled flangeways, which are strong enough to support the weight of a bicycle, but compress when a trolley moves along the rails.

Woodland Avenue is a neighborhood commercial corridor as well as a link in Philadelphia’s trolley network connecting Southwest Philadelphia to Center City. To make Woodland Avenue a gathering space while maintaining its current function as a commercial and transit street, parking space will be reclaimed and the street will be converted to a shared street, increasing the amount of public space. Shared travel lanes will be slow speed and intended for trolleys, AVs, and bikes. Dedicated space in the median will be used for trolley stops and will provide quick, easy, and safe access to transit.

Additional available space will be used for an array of options to improve the public realm including parklets, activity zones, and bike parking. The street will also address environmental concerns such as heat island effect and stormwater management, which can simultaneously improve the public realm. A reconfiguration of Woodland Avenue creates an inviting space for the community — while simultaneously increasing utility for both environmental and mobility purposes.

Wilton Street - Playing Street

Wilton Street is a small residential street adjacent to Woodland Avenue that in 2060 becomes a Playing street where residents can use the street as their shared front yard. The streetscape will be flexible in its use: children can use the entire street to play pick-up hockey and soccer, or residents can gather for informal and formal block gatherings. The block’s purpose is to serve residents’ social needs, rather than their transit needs, which are met on nearby blocks. If needed, emergency vehicles and resident pick-ups and drop-offs will be allowed and can be accommodated in the street’s design.

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Woodland Avenue as a Meeting Street.

ADA-compliant Trolley Stops Park Space

Delivery Space

Outdoor Zone for Commercial Spaces

Shared Travel Lanes

Bike Parking

Wilton Street as a Playing Street.

Community Garden Space Chicanes Street Furniture Stormwater Drains

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Bustleton

Bustleton’s predominantly mid-20th century low-density development stands in stark contrast to the compact grid and row homes of most of the rest of Philadelphia. Suburban neighborhoods like Bustleton, with fast, multilane arterials and calm residential culs-de-sac have different priorities that are just as important to plan for in 2060. With greater distances for residents to cover, automobile dependence in this and similar neighborhoods is unlikely to disappear, and therefore an emphasis on moving streets will remain.

Grant Avenue - Moving Street

Source: NACTO

VIRTUAL GREEN LIGHT Lights for automated vehicles will be unnecessary as they can sense their surroundings, but will remain important to direct pedestrians when to cross the street.

In 2060, Grant Avenue, the east-west arterial that connects the neighborhood to the major transit corridor along Roosevelt Boulevard, is optimized to move as many people as possible safely, comfortably, and quickly through the neighborhood. It features two lanes in each direction for motor vehicles — one in the middle for transit vehicles and one along the outside for all other vehicles. Between the two directions of travel, bus-level transit boarding platforms provide easy access for people of all abilities. A bike lane is featured on both sides of the roadway that is buffered by a green median provides bicyclists a safe and efficient route through the neighborhood. Wide sidewalks are on both sides of the street, allowing more room for pedestrian activity on a more pleasant moving street.

At the intersection with Dungan Road, vehicle traffic on Grant Avenue is given a virtual green light until sensors detect a pedestrian, bicyclist, or vehicle that needs to cross Grant Avenue. Transit vehicles are given priority over waiting vehicles, and traffic is stopped to allow pedestrians or bicyclists to safely cross. Autonomous vehicles no longer need dedicated turning lanes, as they are able to communicate their movements through an intersection with each other.

Dungan Road - Living Street

This living street plays an important role connecting Grant Avenue to more quiet residential playing streets, and vehicle traffic and the residents’ quality of life will need to be carefully balanced. The vehicle right-of-way on this curbless street is just wide enough for vehicles to travel in both directions while also providing a comfortable bicycling environment.

Driveway access is maintained through the extra public space provided to residents so theyv can still store their vehicles off-street. The public space includes grassy areas and hardscape plazas so children can comfortably play outside or interact with their neighbors at the benches under the shady trees.

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On Moving streets, like Grant Avenue, reclaimed spce provides additional public space, green space, and a bus boarding platform.

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GETTING STARTED Outcomes like these are achievable, but they take dedicated resources and a different attitude toward streets in the city. Philadelphia needs to start taking action now to create a culture that sees streets as for the people rather than just for cars. Five initial steps to get started include:

STREETS

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Implement a mandatory, citywide residential parking permit system. Today, residents can apply for a parking permit, but at 35 dollars a year, this program does not create easily available parking for neighborhood residents. To reduce on-street parking, the program must be expanded and more strongly enforced across the city. The permit fee should also be increased as a method to encourage less private car ownership.

2

Implement Vision Zero policies to protect vulnerable road users. The City should continue, and increase, implementation of Vision Zero policies. It should begin to alter street design on high injury network roads. Even if autonomous vehicle technology is never realized on a large scale, Vision Zero policies will encourage greater sharing of rights of way with all users.

3

Increase intentionality and embrace a longer range view of the dig once policy to transform the streetscape. The City needs to plan its streets holistically for transportation, public space, environmental, and infrastructure uses. All work to transform a street should occur in a coordinated manner and consider how streets can be updated to fully reflect these strategies.

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Create a comprehensive street cleaning program. Philadelphia is the only major city in the U.S. without a comprehensive street cleaning program. In 2060, the City will be responsible for management of sidewalks in addition to roads so it is important to create a culture of maintenance and cleaning to help shift attitudes about the purpose of streets.

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Institute a cordon charge for Center City. As driving private vehicles in the central core of the city becomes more expensive, people will turn to alternative forms of transportation to reach Center City. This policy will act as a first step toward a private vehicle-free Center City and will encourage residents to first question if there are alternative methods to reach Center City.

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EXISTING CONDITIONS Public Spaces Today

Public spaces are integral to the lives of Philadelphians. They are places for social interaction, physical recreation, and access to nature. Residents encounter these spaces every day, but they are not often planned for holistically or with a long view into the future. Philly2060 takes a look at the current public space conditions and trends and proposes citywide and long-term strategies to improve new and existing spaces. Today, parks, community centers, libraries and schools make up an intricate network of public space throughout the city. In many ways these have remained unchanged in the past 40 years. For example, since Philadelphia’s last comprehensive plan in 1960, only 24 parks were added instead of the nearly 200 planned.26,27 Recent trends, however, suggest ways public spaces may be changing in the future.

Existing Public Space Assets

Trails Libraries Recreation Facilities Schools Parks Source: DVRPC, Open Data Philly

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FUTURE TRENDS Equity and Access

Most of Philadelphia’s neighborhoods have decent access to public spaces, but quality and maintenance are ongoing concerns. While the current Rebuild Initiative is a great investment in Philadelphia’s community facilities, it is long overdue and only begins to mitigate decades of deferred maintenance in select locations.

Civic Engagement

There’s currently a disconnect between the resources the city provides and some residents’ awareness or faith in these systems. In some cases, populations are vocal about their distrust of the city while other residents may not use or may not be aware of city facilities like recreation and community centers.28 Better information-sharing can lead to increased civic engagement and greater levels of satisfaction among residents.

REBUILD PHILADELPHIA Rebuild is a $500 million program to revitalize neighborhood parks, recreation centers, playgrounds, and libraries across the city that aims to promote equity and fairness and spur additional economic growth.29

Philadelphia City Planning Commission conducting public outreach. Source: American Planning Association.

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Philadelphia’s parks, trails, and open spaces have been put to work to improve quality of life throughout the city. Source: Uwishunu.

Multi-Use

The traditional single-use space is shifting to be more multi-use and multifunctional, meeting more needs at various times of day and hosting different types of city infrastructure on-site. As the use of social media shrinks our social circles and climate change stresses our natural resources, encouraging a continuation of this trend in public spaces can be an important way to increase the utility of public space while bringing together residents of different income levels, races, and neighborhoods.

Reclaimed Street Space

Recent placemaking trends are beginning to reclaim street space from transportation uses. A shift to autonomous vehicles will only increase the street space available for public use since these vehicles will not require on-street parking. How this space is used and programmed will have lasting impacts on the city.

Online Social Networks

Proliferation of smartphones and internet connectivity is changing the way people interact in public spaces and may be impacting the capacity people have for random interactions. Whether residents withdraw into their online social networks, or use these networks to better facilitate connections in the public realm remains to be seen, but this trend must be kept in mind when planning for public spaces in 2060.

PUBLIC SPACE

In 2060, every Philadelphian has equitable access to multi-use public spaces that bring together diverse groups, encourage civic engagement, and support ecosystem services that increase the health of the city.

PUBLIC SPACE VISION

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METHODOLOGY Philadelphia has a total of 1,267 parks, libraries, and city facilities. In order to identify where individual strategies should be employed to best meet the vision for Philadelphia in 2060, this plan separated public spaces into five typologies.30

Examples of each public space typology. From top: Neighborhood, Built, Linear, Mini, Naturalized.

Sources: WHYY, Philadelphia Magazine, Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, Urban Land Magazine, Watershed Alliance.

PUBLIC SPACE PUBLIC SPACE TYPOLOGIES NEIGHBORHOOD

The most commonly thought of public space is likely the neighborhood typology – these are places focused on recreation, used by people that live in a walkable distance, and are largely geared towards young people.

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Built public spaces may also be the center of a community but a majority of their land area is occupied by a built structure.

These include libraries, schools, and community centers.

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Today, linear public spaces exist mostly as trails, such as the Schuylkill River Trail. These spaces are used for recreation and are important active transportation connections.

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Mini spaces are those under ž of an acre, including parklets or traffic triangles. As the city begins to repurpose portions of streets for new public spaces, these spaces will also become mini or linear spaces.

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As more public space is recaptured, larger natural spaces of 20 acres, like Wissahickon Park, will be better able to support the ecosystem services upon which Philadelphians depend.

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STRATEGIES These typologies serve as the framework for applying each of the six Public Space strategies that together will collectively achieve our vision.

25: Reclaim Obsolete Street Space

Reclaiming portions of the existing street right of way and repurposing the space for people will increase equitable access to public space across the city. Newly created linear public spaces, reclaimed from Living and Playing streets, will equal roughly 3,800 acres. Rather than have the city broadly dictate the use of these public spaces right next to resident homes, they will be deregulated to encourage resident-led uses. On larger Living streets, some of the extra land will be partially maintained by the city with vegetative strips that allow for shading and stormwater management.

Uses that residents could potentially install may include community gardens, sidewalk murals, seating, or sports equipment (tetherball pole, basketball hoop).

26: Adapt Existing Community Buildings

By adapting existing community buildings, the City will increase the diversity of functions and resources available at community centers and libraries. As these built public spaces are upgraded, the city should incorporate flexible and modular designs that are not limited to single uses.

This can ensure their viability long into the future and create safer spaces with programming around the clock. Retrofitted community buildings could become more dynamic and better able to meet the neighborhoods needs. For instance, one neighborhood may express interest in a tool library, while another neighborhood may be more interested in robust meeting and teaching facilities for an active civic group.

A portion of the street right-of-way is reclaimed for resident gathering space. Source: Ryan Collerd.

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27: Establish a Public Steward Program

The public steward will be a city employee that lives on site or in a neighboring building and works full time in a given neighborhood’s central public space. They will provide an accessible resource for resident questions or concerns, help connect residents to civic engagement opportunities, and handle day to day maintenance tasks.

These public stewards can facilitate more neighborhood involvement in maintenance and beautification tasks by hosting events such as a mural painting day, park clean up day. In addition, the public steward can be a resource for those interested in planning park events, including coordination of modular programming kits, discussed further in Strategy 28.

Park Stewards will help connect residents to their parks. Source: US Army Corps, Daniel Etra.

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28: Develop Modular Programming Kits

KITS OFFER A RANGE OF SERVICES:

• Office: Sheltered desks with electricity available, lockers for storage • Gym: Exercise equipment, yoga and stretching areas

• Kitchen: Meal prep and cooking equipment for community meals, commercial vending, and a complement to nearby community gardens • Living Room: Event equipment such as large tables, lighting, music equipment, stage and amplification equipment, signage

• Back Shed: Tools and household necessities, such as hammers, drills, gardening equipment

This strategy encourages the development of modular programming kits to make public spaces more useful at various times of day and better able to facilitate diverse uses and users.

To accomplish this, the city will develop mobile and modular kits for different purposes that can be reserved and transported to any public space in the city. These kits each function as a different space of the home to encourage gathering in public spaces instead of private ones.

This “shared economy” approach to public space facilities will encourage community gathering while providing additional resources for those who may not have them at home.

Instead of focusing investments on heavy infrastructure in select locations, this strategy will enable the City to spread funding equitably across Philadelphia’s public space and more quickly adapt the infrastructure to changing technologies and needs.

If executed properly, these kits will improve equity and increase resource access throughout the city.

Modular programming kits can be used throughout Philadelphia’s public spaces. Source: TrendHunter.

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29: Expand Wildlife Habitat

As more street space is repurposed for citizen programming, existing public space in parks or other areas will be freed up to promote vegetation and wildlife habitat which can improve food production, water quality, and species diversity.

Philadelphia’s existing ecologically important natural areas — Wissahickon Valley Park, John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, Cobbs Creek Park, Tacony Creek Park, Pennypack Park, and Poquessing Park — can be connected through intentional planting and maintenance of native species in open spaces larger than 20 acres.

Naturalization might occur, for example, on select grass fields, abandoned rail lines, or newly created wetlands along the southern waterfront. Connecting back to the Climate strategies, increased naturalization will support more resilient ecosystems in a uncertain and changing climate.

FUTURE WILDLIFE Priority will be given to native species that will thrive in Philadelphia’s shifting climate in the coming decades.

Ongoing maintenance will help control invasive species and preserve a diversity of plant life that is resilient to stronger storms and more extreme weather patterns.

Stages of naturalization.

1. LIMIT HUMAN ACCESS

2. FOSTER DENSE PLANT GROWTH

3. OPEN WILDLIFE PRESERVE

PHILLY 2060

30: Create Civic Engagement Portals

Install place-based civic engagement portals in neighborhood public spaces to inform the community of city services, allow residents to provide feedback so they feel a part of the decision-making process, and give decision-makers a stronger pulse on the thoughts of community members. The portal will also be available online, but by providing access in neighborhood public spaces, the City can meet residents where they are and connect people of all backgrounds to information and resources that may be unfamiliar to them. These portals can foster a more informed citizenry and government, and begin to bridge the gap between the two, building trust and transparency.

The portal will include: • Interactive access to the city’s open data, such as records of 311 calls in the neighborhood • An avenue for providing feedback to the city, perhaps on the public space itself or larger civic concerns • A report on municipal responses to resident concerns, such as the status of a water main break • A tracker of the quantitative and qualitative metrics of the space, which might include number of visitors, local air pollution, or feelings of safety

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Linear Built Mini Neighborhood Naturalized Source: City of Philadelphia

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FOCUS AREAS McVeigh Recreation Center

McVeigh Recreation Center in Kensington is a popular but poorly maintained and outdated facility that currently functions as the center of the community. While this site is on the Rebuild list for upcoming improvements, longer term this plan’s strategies will better incorporate opportunities for civic engagement and diverse uses on site.

In 2060, following upgrades that incorporate modular design, the community center will offer flexible spaces for area residents to gather indoors, for example in the co-worker and maker spaces that can be reserved at no charge. Modular programming kits can be brought in at different times of the day or the week to augment the services already provided. For example, a kitchen could be brought in for a barbeque on an evening or weekend to provide a low-cost way for the community to gather and talk about neighborhood concerns.

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A community engagement station on the site will offer information about the site, such as the number of weekly visitors, the range of resources available on-site, and a list of the site’s most recent upgrades. The park steward can offer residents assistance using the engagement portal to understand how their community and their local public space compare to the rest of the city. With increased understanding, residents will be encouraged to share their feedback for public space improvements and take action to make changes in their neighborhood.

Modular Programming Kit Civic Engagement Portal

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Juniata Park

Juniata Park is a large neighborhood park in a predominantly Latinx middle-class neighborhood that is well-used but disconnected from the adjacent watershed park and trail. A combination of the plan’s Public Space strategies, however, will transform the area by 2060. The neighboring Living street to the south is partially reclaimed for public use and redesigned with a large unregulated area for residents to use as space for recreation, gardening, or social gathering. With the added public space on the street, the golf course north of the park can be naturalized into an extension of the existing watershed park. Following decades of selective planting and maintenance, the naturalized space supports a diversity of animal and plant species, including sources of food for the local community.

A public steward for the park lives next door in a space provided by the city.

This program structure helps provide a frequently available friendly face for neighborhood residents and creates affordable housing for the steward.

Citywide, this can encourage income diversity in the neighborhood, and can help address issues of vacancy in certain areas of Philadelphia.

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GETTING STARTED Outcomes like these are achievable, but they take an engaged public, dedicated resources, and staff time. Philadelphia needs to start taking action now to create a culture of commitment to public space improvement. Five initial steps to get started include:

PUBLIC SPACE

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Capitalize on the Rebuild Initiative to integrate flexible and modular design into community facilities. As the City makes a roughly $500 million investment in community facilities throughout the city, steps should be taken now to require design that can be responsive to changing future needs.

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Initiate a study on innovative sources of funding for maintenance in new and existing public spaces. Current public spaces in Philadelphia are chronically underfunded. A study could help the city understand how to fund the maintenance of existing public spaces and identify new funding sources to maintain the additional 3,800 acres of new public space throughout the city.

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Connect existing efforts by the City Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity to a public steward pilot program. Prior to designating fullscale funding, a pilot program can gauge resident interest in having a public steward in their neighborhood public space. The initial public steward could live in an existing cityowned building to test the viability of providing housing for a city employee.

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Implement temporary use permits to allow vacant land to be temporarily activated for uses that benefit the public interest. As an extension of the existing Parks and Recreation permitting program, vacant land permits could be issued to test neighbor-led uses on the sites. The structure could activate underutilized land and encourage a diversity of uses in available neighborhood spaces.

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Expand the Parks and Recreation Website’s “Plan Your Event” webpage to include affordable, more neighborhood serving events. While the current website features options for renting the city’s scenic sites and historic mansions, lowcost options for picnicking, community musician performances, and neighborhood potlucks, among other events, should be highlighted.

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WHY THESE STREETS ?

Bringing Strategies Together

The previous four sections have outlined 30 strategies that give Philadelphia a plan to adapt to climate change, increase mobility, rethink streets, and enhance public space. In practice, these strategies will overlap and play off one another. To understand how the strategies of the previous four sections come together, this pan will conclude with a vision for transforming Philadelphia by closing Broad Street, Market Street, and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to vehicle traffic.

Why Broad, Market, and the Parkway?

These grand avenues have always been Philadelphia’s lifelines. They cross neighborhoods, span rivers, and unite the city’s rich history. In 2060, these streets are given back to residents. Instead of being a space for car traffic, they become a citywide system of public space where this plan’s strategies come to life. As always, what’s true for one place in Philadelphia is hardly ever true in another, so this chapter includes four snapshots that illustrate how the reuse of Broad, Market, and the Parkway could look in different parts of the city. This vision is not the only possible outcome of integrating this plan’s strategies, but it offers a glimpse of the ways in which the ideas of this plan could start to come together.

CONCLUSION BROAD AND LEHIGH

EAKINS OVAL

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BROAD AND LEHIGH Looking first at the intersection of Broad and Lehigh, the pedestrianization of Broad Street calms traffic and creates space for multimodal transit connections. With the removal of parking lanes, Lehigh Avenue has room to become a moving street to transport people across the city. Because this intersection is outside the Urban Core Zone, there are lanes for private vehicles as well as dedicated surface transit lanes and a cycle track. Lehigh Avenue is heavily traveled by many modes, allowing the reclaimed space on Broad Street to be put to use as a transit transfer node. Residents arriving by automated vehicle, bicycle, or surface transit have ample space to transfer to another surface level mode or cross the street and take the elevator down to the Broad Street subway line and urban rail lines. The entire intersection becomes a pedestrian crossing table, slowing down speeds on one of the city’s highest injury corridors.

The portions of the street reclaimed for public space now support a mix of uses: a deregulated area allows businesses or residents to use the area as they see fit — perhaps with cafe tables or yard space. Trees and native vegetation are planted along this public space to reduce heat island effect, capture stormwater, and enhance the public realm.

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63RD AND MARKET At 63rd Street, Market Street becomes a greened extension of Cobbs Creek and a porch for the Market Street commercial corridor. Long a public realm challenge, the area under the El becomes a lush oasis. Dense plant growth on and around the elevated structure shades and cools the neighborhood, reducing the effects of urban heat islands and screening some of the noise from passing trains. This vertical landscaping continues west to Cobbs Creek, extending the habitats of local wildlife and creating a naturalized gateway into the park. Neighbors cultivate food in designated planting areas, increasing local food production and access in a neighborhood that has historically been a food desert. The reclaimed street space on Market Street is reconstructed to create a stepped terrace that activates the corridor, maintaining soil onsite. These terraces create human-scale gathering spaces where customers of the nearby stores can rest and eat when dry and is also completely floodable, gathering stormwater during heavy storms. This active and productive public space is supported by multimodal street access on 63rd Street and updated rapid transit on the Market-Frankford Line.

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2ND AND MARKET The next snapshot is in Old City, at the intersection of 2nd Street and Market Street. Here, reclaimed street space is used to create an enclosed market with stalls for local vendors. This is not a new idea — between 1754 and 1859 a similar structure called the High Street Market ran along Market Street from the Delaware River to the Schuylkill River. Reimagined for contemporary life, the new Market Street Market is a glass structure with openings along both sides. The structure breaks at intersections to allow for surface transit service on the north-south streets. Upgraded MarketFrankford Line stations will remain in their current locations. Inside, vendors sell goods out of individual stalls while residents and tourists pass in and through the market structure. Due to the preservation of historic, low buildings in Old City, the Market Street Market can support solar panels and locally source the energy needed by vendors. The reinstatement of an enclosed street market activates public space on Market by bringing this wide boulevard back down to human scale on each side, supports local production and distribution of food, and bolsters Philadelphia’s status as a world heritage city by returning Market Street to its historic use.

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EAKINS OVAL The final snapshot is of Eakins Oval, one of Philadelphia’s most iconic public spaces. Here a multi-lane, car-oriented boulevard becomes a dynamic public space that hosts events, educates on climate resilience, and reconnects Philadelphia’s cultural center with the rest of the city. With increased transit access via the new Market West rapid transit line, vehicle travel is only necessary on Spring Garden Street for the bridge and Anne d’Harnoncourt Drive for the back-of-house needs of the Museum. Kelly Drive merges into Pennsylvania Avenue at Fairmount Avenue, avoiding the oval altogether. With this more efficient use of space, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway from City Hall to the art museum becomes a pedestrian promenade and the swathes of space once used for complicated slip lanes and roundabouts become a regional public park. Focusing on Eakins Oval, the oval itself becomes a floodable water square. During heavy storms, runoff from the museum and nearby streets is channeled into linear bioswales that filter the stormwater and direct it into the oval. Terracing ensures the space can still be crossed when it is flooded. But when it’s dry, the oval’s stepped terraces allow for informal gathering as well as formal event space. In the surrounding area, native species and plants that grow food are prioritized. The new Eakins Oval signals Philadelphia’s commitment to resilience while maintaining the space’s use as a cultural center of the city

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CONCLUSION

FINAL THOUGHTS The transformation of these three streets highlights the ways in which this plan makes Philadelphia’s transportation systems and public spaces more useful, more beautiful, and more equitable. It illustrates how visionary this plan’s climate change, mobility, streets, and public space strategies can be when combined on the lifelines of this city. Today, transportation systems and public spaces are the resources residents use most everyday.

They are where Philadelphians walk, demonstrate, and play. How they commute, connect, and relax. They create citywide connections and give neighborhoods unique flair. But this plan suggests that by 2060, Philadelphia’s transportation systems and public realm can do and be so much more. They can take the first step in counteracting the historic racial, economic, and spatial inequities in the city. They can host infrastructure to mitigate and adapt to climate change. They can generate local energy and store it more efficiently. They can improve residents’ health by growing food, promoting physical activity, and protecting natural resources.

They can help the city adapt better and faster to changing distribution needs and disruptive technologies. They can ensure that Philadelphians always have a place to come together and find community. Philadelphia’s transportation systems and public realm can can be its greatest asset and its most precious resource, so let’s get started.

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CONCLUSION

AUTHORS Jake Berman

MCP 2018

Transportation and Infrastructure Planning

S. Jordan Butz

MCP 2018

Land Use and Environmental Planning

Rachel Finfer

MCP 2018

Transportation and Infrastructure Planning

Tim Haney

MCP 2018

Transportation and Infrastructure Planning

Kathleen Hanley

MCP 2018

Urban Design

Nate Klass

MCP 2018

Public and Private Development

Ian Taeyoun Lee

MCP 2017

Public and Private Development

Maureen McQuilkin MCP 2018

Land Use and Environmental Planning

Olivia Mobayed

MCP 2018

Transportation and Infrastructure Planning

Thomas Orgren

MCP 2018

Transportation and Infrastructure Planning

Chloe Ge Qu

MCP 2018

Smart Cities

Sarah Scott

MCP / MSHP 2019

Land Use and Environmental Planning

T. Andrew Simpson MCP 2018

Transportation and Infrastructure Planning

Annie Streetman

MCP 2018

Land Use and Environmental Planning

Aaron Su

MCP / MUSA 2017

Smart Cities

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REFERENCES Climate

1. Growing Stronger, Toward a Climate-Ready Philadelphia (November 2015) https://beta.phila.gov/media/20160504162056/Growing-Stronger-Toward-a-Climate-Ready-Philadelphia.pdf 2. Growing Stronger, Toward a Climate-Ready Philadelphia (November 2015) https://beta.phila.gov/media/20160504162056/Growing-Stronger-Toward-a-Climate-Ready-Philadelphia.pdf 3. NOAA et al. 2017. http://www.corpsclimate.us/ccaceslcurves.cfm 4. Ibid.

5. Impervious Surfaces, Philadelphia Water Department, Open Data Philly, 2004.

6. Climate Central. “87 Cities, 4 Scenarios and 1 Really Hot Future.” August 7, 2014. http://www.climatecentral.org/news/87-cities-4-scenarios-1-really-hot-future-for-us-17866 7. EPA. Heat Island Effect. https://www.epa.gov/heat-islands 8. The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia. “Workshop of the World.” http://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/archive/workshop-of-the-world/ 9. Impervious Surfaces, Philadelphia Water Department, Open Data Philly, 2004.

10. BBC. River Flooding and Management Issues. http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/water_rivers/river_flooding_management_rev1.shtml 11. DVRPC. Greater Philadelphia Food System Study. January 2010. https://www.dvrpc.org/reports/09066a.pdf 12. Bay Area Climate Impact Literacy Collaborative. http://bayclic.org/ 13. The Guardian. “Greenhouse in the sky: inside Europe’s biggest urban farm.” April 26, 2016. https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/apr/27/inside-europes-biggest-urban-farm.

Mobility

14. PennDOT Annual Report of Registrations. http://www.dmv.pa.gov/VEHICLE-SERVICES/Title-Registration/Pages/Annual-Report-of-Registrations-.aspx 15. Budick, Seth. “How SEPTA Funding Works.” 11/26/1007. Plan Philly. http://planphilly.com/articles/2007/11/26/2277 16. National Transit Database. 2014.

17. [APTA] 18. “Internet of Things Global Standards Initiative”. ITU. Retrieved 26 June 2015. https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-T/gsi/iot/Pages/default.aspx

CONCLUSION

Streets

19. The Cultural Landscape Foundation https://tclf.org/landscapes/william-penn-philadelphia-plan 20. Historical Society of Pennsylvania https://digitalhistory.hsp.org/bnktr/org/philadelphia-rapid-transit-company 21. Comprehensive Plan for the City of Philadelphia - Philadelphia City Government 22. Philadelphia2035 Comprehensive Plan 23. Philadelphia Streets Department http://www philadelphiastreets.com/complete-streets/ 24. City of Philadelphia http://www.visionzerophl.com/ 25. Vision Zero Plan, City of Philadelphia

Public Space

26. Philadelphia City Planning Commission. Comprehensive Plan for the City of Philadelphia. May 1960.

27. City of Philadelphia. “Parks & Recreation Assets”. June 2015. https://www.opendataphilly.org/dataset/parks-and-recreation-assets 28. City of Philadelphia Office of the Mayor. “2016-2017 Philadelphia Resident Survey Unveiled”. October 2017. https://beta.phila.gov/press-releases/mayor/2016-2017-philadelphia-resident-survey-results-unveiled/ 29. City of Philadelphia. “Rebuilding Community Infrastructure”. 2017. http://rebuild.phila/gov/ 30. City of Philadelphia. “Parks & Recreation Assets”. June 2015. https://www.opendataphilly.org/dataset/parks-and-recreation-assets

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UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA CITY AND REGIONAL PLANNING DEPARTMENT FALL 2017