Ideas We Should Steal

Safer, Cleaner, Greener Public Spaces

New York City and Paris both have leaders who care about making shared urban spaces for every resident. Philadelphians deserve the same

By Katrina Johnston-Zimmerman

Reports of the Death of American Downtowns are Greatly Exaggerated

Call it the new economic geography. Drexel’s Metro Finance head on how some U.S. cities are moving toward healing through economic diversity, cultural growth, and physical rebuild

By Bruce Katz

A Path to “Jobs That People Love”

PECO’s workforce development initiative is, little by little, making solid middle class careers easier to get for Philadelphians who look like their customers

By Natalie Pompilio
New Urban Order

Should We Envy Paris’s Swimmable River?

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo got a lot of attention for cleaning the Seine in preparation for the Olympics. But that may not be best goal for Philly’s local waterways

By Diana Lind

The New Industrial Geography

Drexel’s Metro Finance head on how the U.S. cities primed for re-industrialization are headed for success

By Bruce Katz
Ideas We Should Steal

How To Get an Actual, Permanent Intercity Bus Station

It turns out Philly already has a great candidate to replace the Greyhound station that abruptly closed last year — and an excellent model a few states away for how to make it happen

By Courtney DuChene
Citizen of the Week

Jacqueline “Jax” Cusack of Roxborough Development Corp

The new-ish head of the neighborhood group grew up caring for and communing with the region’s parks and waterways. Now she’s bringing her lifelong passion for the environment to bring more green to the Northwest Philly neighborhood

By Rachel Wisniewski
The New Urban Order

The Antidote to Helplessness

Want to make a real, tangible, immediate impact? Look no further than your own block

By Diana Lind
The New Urban Order

The Future of Post-Pandemic Transit is Post-Commuter

Nationwide, transit ridership remains down from pre-pandemic levels. Is London’s Superloop an idea we should steal?

By Diana Lind
Guest Commentary

Getting the Big Stuff Done

As building has begun on the long-awaited park over I-95 along the Delaware River, the director of the William Penn Foundation lays out how we got here and why the process is a model for major development in the city

By Shawn McCaney