Philadelphia 2035 (Franklin, Penn: apartment complex, approval, station)

[UDResident]

Originally Posted by jm02

I'm a bit confused, as you actually seem to agree this is a good idea now. Regardless, I have trouble seeing how this championship couldn't be run on the inside lanes. I'd love to see the outermost sidewalks and traffic lanes converted into a combination of attractive residential development with commercial fronting at street level (including outdoor dining) with several pocket parks woven in. I would ensure there are some stately trees planted all along the pedestrian route to provide shade and ambience. It would make the stroll from City Hall to the museum a much more urban experience - perhaps even a destination. It would also spur even more development into Fairmont and then beyond.

I was thinking of a different part of the Parkway. I didn't realize you meant the part where it's got the lanes in the middle and then the outer lanes with the tree-lined surface in between.

I really dislike the idea of building up the Parkway. I think it would ruin what the Parkway is. It already is a destination, and its identity as a green yet wide open boulevard is part of the reason why. Philadelphia is not Paris nor London nor any other European city. It's a very urban, East Coast US city. The Parkway is the only part of the core of the city that isn't typical US East Coast urban. London and Paris and other European cities on the other hand have public spaces and plazas throughout and it's a big part of their identity and of what goes into being a European city. Building up the Parkway would just extend the urban East Coast US core of the city along it, which is the complete opposite of what the Parkway is and should be. It's a respite from the city that is European in nature but could be a lot moreso, and the general Fairmount Park and Schuylkill River area is the most beautiful, European part of the city.

I guess it would depend on how far back from the actual Parkway the development would be. Building up the Parkway similar to the Champs-Elysee would not only ruin the Parkway but it would take emphasis off of the view of the Art Museum and City Hall and off of the skyscrapers towering over the Parkway as you get closer and closer to the more urban core.

[FamousBlueRaincoat]

Originally Posted by UDResident

I guess it would depend on how far back from the actual Parkway the development would be. Building up the Parkway similar to the Champs-Elysee would not only ruin the Parkway but it would take emphasis off of the view of the Art Museum and City Hall and off of the skyscrapers towering over the Parkway as you get closer and closer to the more urban core.

City Hall and the Art Museum are both horizon points for the parkway - nothing could take the emphasis off their views.

The only problems with the park way are suburban towers in parking lots and baseball fields. It's really just a couple of lots of development.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by UDResident

I just realized that I read your post wrong. I thought you were talking about eliminating everything but the outer lanes, not the other way around. Personally when it comes to the sidewalks, I would rather see them install sidewalks worthy of such a grand boulevard instead of "greening" things. Some fine material and an exquisite design would make it truly European and easily one of the most world class boulevards in the country. There's already plenty of green. We are in complete agreement about getting rid of the outer traffic lanes though.


I think a combination of that and eliminating traffic from 9AM to 5PM would make the Parkway the premier boulevard in the country and one of the most world class anywhere. Imagine strolling along in the middle of the street from the Art Museum all the way to City Hall with wide, world-class sidewalks lined with cafes, kiosks, and pop-up shops on either side of you. That is by far the best way to experience the Parkway. Then, you could have bike lanes behind the cafe, kiosk, and pop-up shop lined sidewalks. That way there would be no danger whatsoever posed towards pedestrians by wheeled transportation.

I'm still looking, but I recall seeing a Google Street View of the Avenue des Champs-Élysées that demonstrates that the Parkway TODAY very much resembles the Parisian street: lined with buildings to its midpoint, lined mainly with parkland from the midpoint to its far terminus.

Edited to add: Found it - not the Google Street View, but something that drives the point home better: a photo on Wikimedia Commons. It's a view down the avenue from its inner (eastern) end at the Place de la Concorde to its outer end at the Arc de Triomphe:



BTW, that clump of skyscrapers you see in the distance beyond the Place de l'Étoile is La Défense, the office district just outside the Paris city limits developed in the 1980s. Height limits prohibit buildings that tall within Paris' boundaries. Métro Line 1 was extended outside the city to serve it.

And while we're talking about removing the outer lanes of the "park" section of the Parkway to make it more pedestrian-friendly: From what I understand, Parisians love their cars as much as we do, and the Champs-Élysées is usually choked with them - there are underpasses to allow pedestrians to get from one side of the street to the other at several points. And Paris took the same approach to the problem that we're proposing here:

The lastest redesign of the prestigious avenue was done in 1994 by Bernard Huet. The side lanes were converted into pedestrian zones, an underground parking lot was created and new trees were planted. Cars now only occupy half the width of this grand avenue.

link to article from which this is excerpted

[kidphilly]

2012 March « rittenhousenews

Note the plaza redevelopment for Commerce Sq

[rotodome]

Originally Posted by kidphilly

2012 March « rittenhousenews

Note the plaza redevelopment for Commerce Sq

I kinda wish they'd just gotten I.M. Pei to do the commerce sq redesign, and update his own building. or at least given the work to one of the talented local architecture/landscape architecture firms in the city instead of hiring this big boring corporate multipurpose planning firm from canada (stantec).
like, if you want something similar to the piazza...why not just go to the source and hire erdy/mcHenry, whose office is right across town?
oh well.

[kidphilly]

Pa. says Delaware River dredging to resume within 30 days

[UDResident]

Wrong thread.

[kidphilly]

Blumenfeld Expected To Move Forward On Divine Lorraine | Hidden City Philadelphia

[kidphilly]

Developer presents updated plans for Piers 34 and 35 to CDAG | PlanPhilly: Planning Philadelphia's Future

[kidphilly]

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