Just about everyone agrees that South Street West has undergone an impressive transformation over the last several years. Numerous buildings have been renovated. Vacant land has been filled in with new construction. Dozens of new businesses have popped up, bringing a new vitality to this strip that separates the Rittenhouse

Last week, on the second floor of the International House at 37th & Chestnut, multi-disciplinary real estate firm U3 Ventures held a public meeting about a planned development at 4224 Baltimore Ave.,  a large vacant lot adjacent to Clark Park. You may recall, we first told you about this project a couple of months ago. About forty people

The last two summers, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society has transformed two different vacant lots in Center City into pop-up gardens. In 2011, they created a lovely but temporary green space at the corner of 20th & Market where (in theory) a new building will soon (finally) rise. Last year, a garden appeared

Almost two years ago, we first told you about plans for the Olive Townhomes, four new green homes facing a private courtyard on the 800 block of Carpenter Street. For quite some time, nothing happened at this site, but two months ago we brought you the good news that construction was

A few days ago, we told you about a lovely garden on the 1700 block of Kater Street that almost forgives the monstrously ugly parking garage that sits in front of it. In response to that post, a reader shot us an email with some info about possible improvements on

Neighbors in Spruce Hill in West Philadelphia are attempting to build up their organization by offering free membership for new members that join the Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) between now and next winter.

Some civic groups charge fees and some don’t. SHCA fees are $20 a year. The group’s more than 300

Just about anyone who's walked around Philadelphia for a day would agree that we live in a city of murals. Whether they're sprucing up blank walls downtown or serving as placeholders until vacant land can be developed, these works of public art make our city more vibrant, more interesting, and

An innovation district, an energy corridor, and a logistics hub are three major elements of the Lower Schuylkill Master plan, a long-term vision released by the City this month that accounts for 68 percent of the city’s underutilized and vacant industrial land.

The plan, still in the process of being completed,

At a press conference yesterday, members of the Crosstown Coalition of Taxpayers, representing twenty-one civic groups from all over town, held a press conference at City Hall denouncing the Office of Property Assessment's performance in assessing Philadelphia's 579,000 properties.

Like the Controller's office, the CCoT recently embarked on a thorough examination

A few days ago, we lamented the demolition of the St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church,  at 3rd & Reed. At that time, we reminded you that twelve homes would be replacing this hundred-and-twenty-year-old but not historic building, and wondered what those new homes would look like.

Thanks to the folks at Harman