Glenwood and the lack of development there (Philadelphia, Jefferson: neighborhoods, income)

[Nitro2985]

Something that's struck me recently is how little is going on in Glenwood.


It's the perfect confluence for transit orientated development. Near the BSL, with a couple of stations going right down its middle. It has both North Philadelphia and North Broad Street regional rail stations in it, making it probably the 3rd best connected place in the entire city, after 30th street station, and Jefferson Station/Suburban Station. It's about 15 minutes to center city from there, 2.5 hours to NYC if you take the cheap way (Regional Rail out to Trenton, then Northeast Corridor from there) or 1 Hour 20 minutes if you're willing to spend $60-80 to take the Keystone all the way to Penn station. 3 hours to DC from there. Since nearly every regional rail train passes through there, you can get on a train to pretty much any of the suburbs, or even Trenton without switching trains ever.


Yet the area has the second lowest income of the entire city, and has seen next to no development in the past 15 years. Why is this?

[selhars]

Where is Glenwood? Never heard of it. (I'm a South- and SW Philly person.)

[Gerania]

Originally Posted by selhars

Where is Glenwood? Never heard of it. (I'm a South- and SW Philly person.)

I didn't know, either.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Gl...!4d-75.1544325

[Nitro2985]

Maybe it's a rebranding thing like Newbold? I don't know, but either way it fits the region that would be otherwise be perfectly suited for a transit hub in the North part of the city. I'm really surprised that basically nothing is happening there.

[Gerania]

Decades ago, when a friend worked at the hospital, it was called "south of the hospital." That's it.

[Fireshaker]

Development rarely "skips" over other areas. No matter the assets of a particular neighborhood, if a lot of the ground between it and Center City is still bad, that area's most likely staying bad. You're not generally going to see islands of gentrification; it tends to move more in waves. And now that we're seeing real infill between CC and Temple, north of Temple could be next.

You're right that Glenwood, like a lot of TOD neighborhoods in this city, has some great bones. And there have been some really interesting development ideas floated for that vicinity, so it's definitely one to keep an eye on.

[KoNgFooCj]

Glenwood is centered on Broad St, between Lehigh and Allegheny.