What are the most significant changes to Philly over the past 30 years? (Philadelphia: apartments, houses)

[thedirtypirate]

Originally Posted by Hermit12

No, they weren't.

30 years ago, 3rd and Indiana was known as the worse block in Philadelphia. The popular book named after the corner came out in 1994. What is that, a 12 to 15 min walk to Bridesburg? C'mon man, that area of the city was at it's tipping point already. Those are the types of neighborhoods we learned about in school involving "white flight", de industrialization, and all the other factors I have been trying to explain on here for the last 10 years lol.


Philadelphia of 30 years ago

[Hermit12]

Originally Posted by thedirtypirate

30 years ago, 3rd and Indiana was known as the worse block in Philadelphia. The popular book named after the corner came out in 1994. What is that, a 12 to 15 min walk to Bridesburg? C'mon man, that area of the city was at it's tipping point already. Those are the types of neighborhoods we learned about in school involving "white flight", de industrialization, and all the other factors I have been trying to explain on here for the last 10 years lol.


Philadelphia of 30 years ago

Trying to explain what? We all know what happened in Kensington (and many other areas of the country), it's not rocket science.

Are you 40 yet?

Maybe a ten to fifteen minute walk to Port Richmond ... but 3rd and Indiana doesn't have anything to do with Port Richmond or Bridesburg. Bridesburg is over 4.5 miles from 3rd and Indiana.
You obviously don't know those neighborhoods.
What your suburban school taught you about white flight ... Now, THAT'S comical.

[Pennsport]

Getting to this thread late, but I would agree with some posters that said the biggest change to our city is the concentric continuity of river to river and basically Oregon (there are still some iffy spots in South Philly, but they're quickly evaporating) to almost past Temple (again, iffy pockets, but quickly getting gentrified). Twenty years ago, hell, 10 years ago, you had straight up slums in very prominent areas. I think the last spot left that is real trouble are the projects in Queen Village b/t 5th and 3rd and Christian and Washington. While I agree some areas have paid the price for this advance in the city proper (namely NE Philly which has sadly gone down the tubes in a lot of formerly stable neighborhoods), the bottom line is that this has transformed the core of the city; and it appears we're going to have another renaissance with all the Delaware Ave projects, the connecting bridge from Gray's Ferry to West Philly and, fingers crossed, the Sixers stadium. Of course, the complete transformation of West/University City doesn't even have to be mentioned. I think everyone is aware of the incredible strides that area has made.

Regarding the K&A open air drug market, some city leaders putting their feet down would be great, but I don't count on our government for anything. I'm a firm believer, from what I've seen over the decades, that private development is what changes areas. Once they start getting squeezed out, the junkies will move along like they always have. I give it 5 to 6 years. There is just nowhere else to build except to keep moving up the Riverward corridor. Kensington will change just like all the other neighborhoods did, despite our terrible city "leaders."

[Redddog]

Originally Posted by Pennsport

Regarding the K&A open air drug market, some city leaders putting their feet down would be great, but I don't count on our government for anything. I'm a firm believer, from what I've seen over the decades, that private development is what changes areas. Once they start getting squeezed out, the junkies will move along like they always have. I give it 5 to 6 years. There is just nowhere else to build except to keep moving up the Riverward corridor. Kensington will change just like all the other neighborhoods did, despite our terrible city "leaders."

Tell that to Skid Row.

Some areas like Kensington are more resistant to turning. Developers are skiddish with even the surest thing right now (looking at you, Jewelers Row). You think someone's gonna put a bunch of cash down in an area that has a permanent armed drug dealer standing in front of your new development?

I hop you're right. But I bet people have been saying what you said about Kenso for 10 years. And it's still the same bombed out disaster it's always been.

[JamesJay64]

Originally Posted by Redddog

Tell that to Skid Row.

Some areas like Kensington are more resistant to turning. Developers are skiddish with even the surest thing right now (looking at you, Jewelers Row). You think someone's gonna put a bunch of cash down in an area that has a permanent armed drug dealer standing in front of your new development?

I hop you're right. But I bet people have been saying what you said about Kenso for 10 years. And it's still the same bombed out disaster it's always been.

Development is moving in that direction though: https://www.inquirer.com/real-estate...-20230829.html

[Hermit12]

Originally Posted by Redddog

Tell that to Skid Row.

Some areas like Kensington are more resistant to turning. Developers are skiddish with even the surest thing right now (looking at you, Jewelers Row). You think someone's gonna put a bunch of cash down in an area that has a permanent armed drug dealer standing in front of your new development?

I hop you're right. But I bet people have been saying what you said about Kenso for 10 years. And it's still the same bombed out disaster it's always been.

The neighborhood is always called 'Kensington,' not 'Kenso.' 'Kenzo' is a slur for a trashy, low-class, white person from Kensington.

[Duderino]

Originally Posted by Redddog

Tell that to Skid Row.

Some areas like Kensington are more resistant to turning. Developers are skiddish with even the surest thing right now (looking at you, Jewelers Row). You think someone's gonna put a bunch of cash down in an area that has a permanent armed drug dealer standing in front of your new development?

I hop you're right. But I bet people have been saying what you said about Kenso for 10 years. And it's still the same bombed out disaster it's always been.

I mean, you literally have homes sales up to $800K in East Kensington these days--can anyone say with a straight face that they would have seen that coming 5 years ago?

There's no question that the private investment is still expanding in the city to new "frontiers." Some areas have much more intractable social challenges for sure, but nothing in Philly is insurmountable or unprecedented to overcome.

The biggest challenge of Philadelphia is not its crime, blight or litter--its the all-too-common attitude of defeatism or the idea that all of its problems are too exceptional to solve. They're not. Period.

[NewtownBucks]

Originally Posted by Pennsport

Twenty years ago, hell, 10 years ago, you had straight up slums in very prominent areas. I think the last spot left that is real trouble are the projects in Queen Village b/t 5th and 3rd and Christian and Washington.

Is this really that bad? I know the area was a slum in the heyday of the Southwark high rise buildings, but they've been gone for 20+ years and the townhouse community that replaced them doesn't seem to be anywhere even comparable to the blight and poverty of the projects that were there.

[Pennsport]

Originally Posted by NewtownBucks

Is this really that bad? I know the area was a slum in the heyday of the Southwark high rise buildings, but they've been gone for 20+ years and the townhouse community that replaced them doesn't seem to be anywhere even comparable to the blight and poverty of the projects that were there.

Sadly, yes, this stretch is still very bad. Shootings and other violent crimes occur on a regular basis in this little section. It would be a huge change to the entire community if these projects were razed and "normals" were allowed to move into new housing.

[Redddog]

Originally Posted by Pennsport

Sadly, yes, this stretch is still very bad. Shootings and other violent crimes occur on a regular basis in this little section. It would be a huge change to the entire community if these projects were razed and "normals" were allowed to move into new housing.

It's a really odd looking area. Who thought these would be an attractive addition to QV?

Crazy.