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I was in Philly as recent as last month and walked on South, took a left on 9th, and took another left on Lombard and I saw a house with two different unmatching color of brick, one colonial red and the other hazed maroon-red. Aesthetically unpleasing and just one of many routine examples I can think of in Philly that have to go. Philly needs to get with the times, its dipalated areas are holding it back for sure but even its good areas could use a facelift.
This is what I mean about Philly; it is a city of great contrasts. That house was there before you and it will be there after you, it doesn't need to change to become more "aesthetically pleasing" to you. I live within walking distance to housing projects and massive abandoned factories, but also America's first Presidential residence and one of the largest urban parks in the World. Philadelphia has it's beautiful parts but I feel sorry if you can't find beauty in craziness and ugliness.
If Philadelphia were "prettier," then much more of it would have gentrified by now. Then people would be complaining about the good ole' days, hipster invasion, yuppification, etc. It's nearly impossible to have a city with large areas full of well-manicured brownstones, tree-lined streets, and easy-peasy subway access that's 100% "authentic." Just like it's nearly impossible to have a hot chick that no other guys hit on.
Philadelphia does have a good amount of the city where some investment and restoration would make the neighborhood fairly beautiful and attractive. The problem has more to do with Philly having been hit harder by the slump in American manufacturing, and having just a generally less prosperous economy than Boston and NYC (and DC). It could probably still turn around quite nicely though.
Philadelphia does have a good amount of the city where some investment and restoration would make the neighborhood fairly beautiful and attractive. The problem has more to do with Philly having been hit harder by the slump in American manufacturing, and having just a generally less prosperous economy than Boston and NYC (and DC). It could probably still turn around quite nicely though.
Biggest issues for Philly are poverty/decimated nabes (see your manufacturing comment, Philadelphia was one the workshop of the world), public schools, and the city corporate tax structure. That said the city and even moreso metro has actually made some great strides. Over the last ten years Philly is second to only Boston among the largest metros for GDP growth adjusted for population growth (some consider organic economic growth). It actually fared quite well. What Philly is not doing is attracting enough new jobs.
Philly has a long way to go to make many nabes desirable, that said even within the city there are many desirable nabes. Comparing a footprint to Atlanta, Philly has more residents living in the actual city in nice nabes, also many more in not so nice nabes. On the whole Philly is probably 20 years behind Boston and NYC in redeveloping its economy but has very good fundamantsl. Mostly it needs to attract more jobs!
Also stop it with the HDR quality pictures that most of which arent even in the city of Philadelphia, they arent even yours and you can make anything look good with zoom, color, and edit enhancements.
The photos were all taken in the city Philadelphia. I'm not trying to make Philadelphia look good rather trying to educate posters(thru photos) who have an agenda to paint Philadelphia as a dirty,nasty, sprawling ghetto outside of Old City. Nothing could be further from the truth. The entire NW section of the city is in a forest.The NE part of the city is suburban in nature, most built after 1945.South philadelphia is stable , parts of West Philadelphia/University City are spectacular. .
We have acknowledged that Philadlephia has far too many sketchy areas and tried to explain that this isnt a world city like NYC and progress is going to be much slower.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Notramick
but its not the most aesthetically pleasing city in the northeast, not even close to NYC nor Boston.
No one ever tried to say it was. Just trying to refute some derelict comments made about Philadelphia that are untrue. The way it works on these threads is that someone make a derogatory baseless claim concerning Philadelphia, the Philadelphia backers try to defend their hometown, board attacks Philly boasters for being insufferable homers.
Im simply trying to dimiss some false info that is all. You will never see me post pictures of Philadelphia unless its in defense of false information.
Also stop it with the HDR quality pictures that most of which arent even in the city of Philadelphia, they arent even yours and you can make anything look good with zoom, color, and edit enhancements. There are many lovely things about Philly and its surrounding areas but its not the most aesthetically pleasing city in the northeast, not even close to NYC nor Boston.
Philly is a good city but its got a lot to put on its agenda to work on.
Actually I can personally attest to all these (well the one residence I dont know first hand but are many like it in the Chestnut Hill area) and they look to be mostly in the Chestnut Hill Wissohicken park area. All within the city itself actually
To your other points there are many bad areas as well. NYC has them too, probably even more but proportionally less.
Actually I can personally attest to all these (well the one residence I dont know first hand but are many like it in the Chestnut Hill area) and they look to be mostly in the Chestnut Hill Wissohicken park area. All within the city itself actually
To your other points there are many bad areas as well. NYC has them too, probably even more but proportionally less.
Im no Brooklynite..so I wouldnt dare act as though I know everything about brooklyn..but from what I do know and have seen..BK has no room to talk when it comes to dirty/ghetto/hood type ish. I'm looking at you Brownsville and East NY. Let's not. Brownsville/East NY don't represent all of BK, just as North Philly doesn't represent all of Philly.
My question is, why do you guys (Some Philly Posters) go back and forth with someone who clearly doesn't know what they're talking about and has their mind made up?
Im no Brooklynite..so I wouldnt dare act as though I know everything about brooklyn..but from what I do know and have seen..BK has no room to talk when it comes to dirty/ghetto/hood type ish. I'm looking at you Brownsville and East NY. Let's not. Brownsville/East NY don't represent all of BK, just as North Philly doesn't represent all of Philly.
I agree that Brooklyn also has plenty of bad areas, and yes, Brownsville/ENY is the worst neighborhood in NYC, but, still, there's no comparison with North Philly.
North Philly, (and parts of West/SW Philly) are much worse than Brownsville/ENY, IMO. Much higher crime, horrible abandonment everywhere (very little vacant anything in Brownsville/ENY), super low property values, etc.
So, yeah, Brooklyn has lots of bad too, but much less (proportionally) than Philly, and the bad areas in Brooklyn aren't nearly as bad as Philly.
I agree that Brooklyn also has plenty of bad areas, and yes, Brownsville/ENY is the worst neighborhood in NYC, but, still, there's no comparison with North Philly.
North Philly, (and parts of West/SW Philly) are much worse than Brownsville/ENY, IMO. Much higher crime, horrible abandonment everywhere (very little vacant anything in Brownsville/ENY), super low property values, etc.
So, yeah, Brooklyn has lots of bad too, but much less (proportionally) than Philly, and the bad areas in Brooklyn aren't nearly as bad as Philly.
I agree that Brooklyn also has plenty of bad areas, and yes, Brownsville/ENY is the worst neighborhood in NYC, but, still, there's no comparison with North Philly.
North Philly, (and parts of West/SW Philly) are much worse than Brownsville/ENY, IMO. Much higher crime, horrible abandonment everywhere (very little vacant anything in Brownsville/ENY), super low property values, etc.
So, yeah, Brooklyn has lots of bad too, but much less (proportionally) than Philly, and the bad areas in Brooklyn aren't nearly as bad as Philly.
Actually, contrary to popular belief, West Philadelphia is really not that bad and could easily be compared to Brooklyn. Even most of Southwest Philadelphia is not bad, it's only a few sections.
The three areas in todays Philadelphia that are the worst are:
Central North Philadelphia (Strawberry Mansion, Tioga/Nicetown, West Kensington, Hunting Park, Juniata Park/Feltonville)
Kingsessing in Southwest Philadelphia
Frankford in the Lower Northeast
Most of Lower North Philadelphia has been cleaned up/gentrified or is currently being redeveloped. A lot of West Philly is seeing huge swaths of Gentrification and redevelopment especially surrounding UCity and out along City Avenue, and pretty much all of South Philly is seeing gentrification and redevelopment now except a select few nabs. Notramick CLEARLY has no idea what he is talking about so IDK why you guys are even bothering to argue with him. Philly is seeing a ton of gentrification and miles and miles of the city are being redeveloped, he claims he has "been to Philadelphia" yet has not seen the large swaths of redevelopment and the TON of construction going on in Philly only surpassed by NYC, Chicago and DC.
Philly is cleaning up pretty quickly. Center City, University City and Northwest Philadelphia are cleaner than most of NYC. It's only really the ghettos of North Philadelphia and the ghettos of West Philadelphia that can arguably be called "dirtier" than NYC.
Notramik, you do know if we took all of the nice areas in Philly, and combined them, the area is larger, more populated and safer than Boston? Boston is a very very small city and it does not take long to gentrify a small area. Philly is triple to quadruple the size of Boston and the nice/ gentrified areas combined are larger than Boston.
In fact, to show you just how much progress has been made, this is an aerial photo of the Graduate Hospital neighborhood in South Philadelphia:
Here is the same neighborhood today taken by google images
....and this is not the only neighborhood where this has happened:
Society Hill
Old City
Franklintown
Fairmount
Bella Vista
Spring Garden
Northern Liberties
Poplar
...and this same phenomenon is currently happening in a TON of neighborhoods
Fishtown
Delaware Waterfront
Newbold
Point Breeze
Grays Ferry
Mantua
Walnut Hill
Germantown
Francisville
Brewerytown
Spring Arts
Callowhill
West Poplar
Templetown
North Central
Olde Kensington
New Kensington
Kensington
The amount of gentrification and redevelopment in Philadelphia is astonishing. I'm sure it will still be 10 years until most ignorant American's like Notramick wake up to what is happening in Philadelphia but it is happening nonetheless. It is a new city and the dropping crime rates, massive redevelopment and gentrification and population growth for the first time since 1950 is just a sign of Philadelphia's renaissance. I give it 10 years before Philadelphia is a world class city again.
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