PHILADELPHIA | Highrise Development Thread X

[Mr Saturn64]

Originally Posted by ColdJay64

I don't feel great, is Philly the biggest NIMBY city in the entire country? I have to imagine the insane amount of opposition so many developments face has an impact on whether larger projects are even considered.

Even though it's vastly ahead of Philly in every economic metric, I am aware Boston has serious NIMBY problems. I don't know what other cities have that problem.

Originally Posted by wanderer34

Amsterdam is the largest city in Holland, a major air and rail hub for Holland thanks to one of the busiest airports in the world (Schipol), and one of the busiest rail stations in Europe, the economic, commercial, and cultural center of Holland, the most visited city in Holland, and one of the most visited cities in the world.

I know a lot do not like to use the GaWC chart when comparing cities, but as of 2022, Amsterdam is still ranked as an Alpha city, while Philadelphia is now a Beta- city, now below cities such as Denver and Seattle, which are currently Beta cities (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global..._Network#Alpha).

I wonder what it would take to make Philadelphia a truly global city. We have several things going against us. We're wedged between NYC and DC and Boston's not too far. Our universities can't retain their business students. The airport has extremely limited international options. I'm hoping that 2026 can put a larger spotlight on the city; although everyone has to be on their best behavior.

[ScreamShatter]

Originally Posted by Mr Saturn64

Even though it's vastly ahead of Philly in every economic metric, I am aware Boston has serious NIMBY problems. I don't know what other cities have that problem.



I wonder what it would take to make Philadelphia a truly global city. We have several things going against us. We're wedged between NYC and DC and Boston's not too far. Our universities can't retain their business students. The airport has extremely limited international options. I'm hoping that 2026 can put a larger spotlight on the city; although everyone has to be on their best behavior.

Making Philly desirable economically would go a long way towards fixing all of those things.

[ColdJay64]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

Comments like this make me think you're either 21 and don't have experience with this stuff and/or you've never lived anywhere else.

This seems a little unnecessary to say, & I've lived in a few other major cities but they were quite different than Philly.

To your other points, Squilla's district is an obvious exception.

[jaysb]

Originally Posted by Mr Saturn64

Even though it's vastly ahead of Philly in every economic metric, I am aware Boston has serious NIMBY problems. I don't know what other cities have that problem.



I wonder what it would take to make Philadelphia a truly global city. We have several things going against us. We're wedged between NYC and DC and Boston's not too far. Our universities can't retain their business students. The airport has extremely limited international options. I'm hoping that 2026 can put a larger spotlight on the city; although everyone has to be on their best behavior.

I think calling the international options 'extremely limited' is a bit harsh. Yes, it's primarily one carrier but the destinations hit nearly every major city in Europe. There are not many other airports that serve smaller cities like Nice, Copenhagen, Venice, Naples direct. Plus they service nearly every stop in the Caribbean. We'd all like more carriers for better prices and direct flights to Asia but I think the options here are not bad.

As for other Metros in the south; I believe their growth is nearing their apex. Cost of living was a major factor but that has gone out the window. Yes they have a much friendlier business climate (which will remain a tailwind). Climate change is a big deal, I have friends in Austin who complain it's unlivable during the summer. I think these younger generations are going to head north, sort of anti-boomer-to-the-sunbelt type migration. Affordable cities in temperate climates like Detroit, MSP, etc will stand to gain.

Just my two cents.

[PhilliesPhan]

Originally Posted by wanderer34

The difference between Philly and Amsterdam is that Philly is the sixth largest major city in the US, a major legacy city, the original US capital before it moved to DC, and the site of the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the US Constitution. It's a city that's tied to it's colonial past, for better or worse.

Amsterdam is the largest city in Holland, a major air and rail hub for Holland thanks to one of the busiest airports in the world (Schipol), and one of the busiest rail stations in Europe, the economic, commercial, and cultural center of Holland, the most visited city in Holland, and one of the most visited cities in the world.

I know a lot do not like to use the GaWC chart when comparing cities, but as of 2022, Amsterdam is still ranked as an Alpha city, while Philadelphia is now a Beta- city, now below cities such as Denver and Seattle, which are currently Beta cities (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global..._Network#Alpha).

What's the equivalent of the De Wallen district in Amsterdam, the center for cannabis and legalized prostitution? The closest I can think of is Old City, and there's no cannabis dispensaries nor any legalized prostitution anywhere (both are illegal in PA).

Also, Amsterdam is known as the "Venice of the North" due to the numerous canals that traverse throughout the city's center. We don't have canals anywhere in Philly. The closest city to Amsterdam in the US is New York, since it's old name used to be Amsterdam, and the Dutch colonists used to inhabit New Amsterdam until it became New York thanks to the Brits. Also, Dutch names such as Wyckoff, Vandeveer, and Bushwick are either street names or place names in NY. The Roosevelts (Teddy and FDR) are descended from the Dutch, as is Van Buren. Finally, the flag of NYC is based of the Dutch's original colors of blue, white, and orange, and the seal of NYC contains a windmill, a symbol of the Dutch. The city flag of Philly is light blue and gold, the colors of Sweden.

If there was a European city or cities that I can think of that's closest to Philly, it's London (for the British colonists), Paris (for the museums along the Parkway, which was modeled after the Champs Elysees), and maybe a sprinkling of Rome (due to the Sports Complex and the Italians that live in South Philly).

There is no neighborhood in the US, let alone Philly, that can compare to what I saw in De Wallen lol.

I want Philly to be like Amsterdam in terms of the urban experience. Amsterdam, especially the historic center, is full of mixed-use rowhome neighborhoods reminiscent of ours. Everything is tied together by streetcar lines, some heavy rail, very frequent NS trains, and tons of bike lanes. There are also no disheveled neighborhoods anywhere in the city, as each neighborhood is given money to promote neighborhood upkeep. Had Philly maintained its housing stock, trolley lines, and commercial districts, and if SEPTA ran the Regional Rail more like a metro, Philly and Amsterdam could have a somewhat analogous urban form minus the canal system.

I agree that London is a close analogue to Philly, but significantly larger in scale. The tight streets, rowhomes, lively pubs, and distinct neighborhoods made me feel at home. Camden Town (possibly my favorite neighborhood in London) in particular felt like a mix of what South Street used to be and what Fishtown currently is. If I didn't love Philly so much and weren't so financially invested, I'd strongly consider emigrating to the UK.

[mcgrath618]

Originally Posted by jaysb

I think calling the international options 'extremely limited' is a bit harsh. Yes, it's primarily one carrier but the destinations hit nearly every major city in Europe. There are not many other airports that serve smaller cities like Nice, Copenhagen, Venice, Naples direct. Plus they service nearly every stop in the Caribbean. We'd all like more carriers for better prices and direct flights to Asia but I think the options here are not bad.

As for other Metros in the south; I believe their growth is nearing their apex. Cost of living was a major factor but that has gone out the window. Yes they have a much friendlier business climate (which will remain a tailwind). Climate change is a big deal, I have friends in Austin who complain it's unlivable during the summer. I think these younger generations are going to head north, sort of anti-boomer-to-the-sunbelt type migration. Affordable cities in temperate climates like Detroit, MSP, etc will stand to gain.

Just my two cents.

Detroit can't gain because it lacks any semblance of public transit. The Q Line doesn't do much besides ferry people back and forth from downtown to the Pistons stadium and Amshack.

I agree with the rest of your analysis, though. Cities like Boston, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and yes, Philadelphia will stand to benefit quite a bit from the phenomenon you're talking about. Pittsburgh and St. Louis (and maybe Cleveland) have some rail transit and can support an influx of residents to an extent, and are rather affordable at the moment. Pittsburgh has a rather large tech industry blossoming, and Saint Louis now has several higher-speed trains a day to Chicago.

[PHLtoNYC]

Originally Posted by Mr Saturn64

I wonder what it would take to make Philadelphia a truly global city. We have several things going against us. We're wedged between NYC and DC and Boston's not too far. Our universities can't retain their business students. The airport has extremely limited international options. I'm hoping that 2026 can put a larger spotlight on the city; although everyone has to be on their best behavior.

Originally Posted by ScreamShatter

Making Philly desirable economically would go a long way towards fixing all of those things.

^ This.
Not counting the suburbs, there aren't enough career opportunities in Philadelphia proper. And being sandwiched between NYC and DC is a forever knock on Philadelphia's national and global reach.

The city needs to continue to capitalize on this...
Philadelphia region moves up in JLL ranking of the country's top life sciences clusters
https://www.bizjournals.com/philadel...g-jll-bio.html

Life sciences, startups, tech, and becoming a more lucrative place for major law firms, finance firms, engineering firms, etc., to open satellites, will help the city grow in the ranks and increase student retention rates. (I think 3 Am Law 100 firms opened Philadelphia offices recently?) And of course improving the QOL, lowering crime, poverty, etc., is all a given.

As far as the airport, it's decently competitive (definitely not "extremely limited"), but at some point, PHL needs to follow EWR and LGA and start replacing the oldest terminals.

And maybe a hot take, but a Michelin Red Guide would boost Philadelphia's international profile (yes, its pay-to-play and pretentious, but still a thing, and Philadelphia is an incredible food city).

*Edit, between Shapiro and Parker, Philadelphia is in a good position to accomplish some of these things in the next 4-8 years. They see the bigger picture for the city and commonwealth.

[PhillyPDX]

Originally Posted by mcgrath618

Detroit can't gain because it lacks any semblance of public transit. The Q Line doesn't do much besides ferry people back and forth from downtown to the Pistons stadium and Amshack.

I agree with the rest of your analysis, though. Cities like Boston, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and yes, Philadelphia will stand to benefit quite a bit from the phenomenon you're talking about. Pittsburgh and St. Louis (and maybe Cleveland) have some rail transit and can support an influx of residents to an extent, and are rather affordable at the moment. Pittsburgh has a rather large tech industry blossoming, and Saint Louis now has several higher-speed trains a day to Chicago.

We (people) have been saying this about Pittsburgh for 30 years, and while underrated and an amazing cultural city for its size with elite universities/research, continues to lose residents at a faster rate that all major cities (save NOLA).

Climate change refugees is a bit overblown (at least in the wealthy US, where we can adapt with technology), especially now that "climate change haven" Asheville has been effectively destroyed by a clear result of climate change. A/C goes a long way to allowing the south to remain livable. People flat out don't like cold weather way more than they don't like hot, generally speaking. I can't mention I'm originally from Buffalo without utter shock on people's face for "how can a human live there, it's much too cold".

For all these global rankings people need to realize how much is about perception more than anything else. These rankings have litte to do with real metrics (like US News college rankings. Mostly bogus). I had Portland friends travel to NYC last year, took the train to DC for tourism reasons, bypassing Philly. They get back and say how mad they are they didn't stay in Philly after seeing the skyline on the train into 30th Street, they had "no idea Philly was so big and urban". People simply don't understand and have a very poor grasp of what Philly is. People don't understand much beyond what is popular.

Having a lower perception doesn't make Philly less off, but it does make it way more affordable for those that understand how amazing Center City is. There is no better (real) urban value than Center City Philly, by a long shot.

[Radio5]

Originally Posted by PhillyPDX

We (people) have been saying this about Pittsburgh for 30 years, and while underrated and an amazing cultural city for its size with elite universities/research, continues to lose residents at a faster rate that all major cities (save NOLA).

Climate change refugees is a bit overblown (at least in the wealthy US, where we can adapt with technology), especially now that "climate change haven" Asheville has been effectively destroyed by a clear result of climate change. A/C goes a long way to allowing the south to remain livable. People flat out don't like cold weather way more than they don't like hot, generally speaking. I can't mention I'm originally from Buffalo without utter shock on people's face for "how can a human live there, it's much too cold".

For all these global rankings people need to realize how much is about perception more than anything else. These rankings have litte to do with real metrics (like US News college rankings. Mostly bogus). I had Portland friends travel to NYC last year, took the train to DC for tourism reasons, bypassing Philly. They get back and say how mad they are they didn't stay in Philly after seeing the skyline on the train into 30th Street, they had "no idea Philly was so big and urban". People simply don't understand and have a very poor grasp of what Philly is. People don't understand much beyond what is popular.

Having a lower perception doesn't make Philly less off, but it does make it way more affordable for those that understand how amazing Center City is. There is no better (real) urban value than Center City Philly, by a long shot.

Philly is bad at marketing itself to the outside world (and maybe most want it that way), but it's also why none of my friends are visiting philly for a weekend, or would consider to move, they don't know about it! You have to seek out or stumble upon philly if you have no connection to it, but that is part of the charm I suppose. Whenever I post photos of philly, I always get asked where is that, or that's in philly??

[PhillyPDX]

Originally Posted by Radio5

Philly is bad at marketing itself to the outside world (and maybe most want it that way), but it's also why none of my friends are visiting philly for a weekend, or would consider to move, they don't know about it! You have to seek out or stumble upon philly if you have no connection to it, but that is part of the charm I suppose. Whenever I post photos of philly, I always get asked where is that, or that's in philly??

Yup. Friends from nyc used to visit, “holy cow this city so nice and clean”. Amazed them (areas in CCD, to be sure).