The Sixers’ pitch to the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation (DRWC) argues that their plan for an arena and waterfront development is an employment investment and would support diversity in the construction industry, but critics say that hiring Black contractors should be a given and that Sixers co-owner Josh Harris had previously failed to invest in jobs when given the opportunity. Shawn McCaney, the Executive Director of the William Penn Foundation, details the long citizen-led process to create a plan for development for the Central Delaware and calls on DRWC to stick to the people’s plan when evaluating the Sixers’ plan for an arena at Penn’s Landing.
In other Penn’s Landing news, The Durst Organization became the second bidder to identify themselves, though they are keeping quiet about the contents of their plans. Hoffman & Associates were next up, leaving the name of only one RFP participant unknown.
Community Futures Lab (CFL) works to fight spatial oppression and to empower residents in North Philadelphia. CFL, a project by Black Quantum Futurism/The AfroFuturist Affair, examined disparate practices at PHA and joined many other Philadelphia and national groups in advocating for design justice.
After the tragic death of Avante Reynolds on Cobbs Creek Parkway, residents speak out for change in transportation policy.
One grassroots preservationist responds to the Philadelphia Department of Planning & Development’s call for a coordinator for a citywide historic preservation survey and provides guidance on how to situate their survey into a more holistic preservation policy.
What does good design mean for disabled people, including those with cognitive and sensory differences?
The Summer issue of CONTEXT, the American Institute of Architects Philadelphia Chapter Magazine is out. Edited by volunteer editors, Harris Steinberg, FAIA and Susan Miller Davis, this issue explores civic life and creativity in our unique urban environment.
