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Rethinking Philadelphia’s “Avenue of the Arts”

Avenue of the Arts | Center City, Philadelphia

 
For younger generations, Philadelphia is a happening place to be.

There are world-class educational institutions, neighborhoods full of creative class-mates and/or entrepreneurs, and affordable lifestyle options. Not only does Philadelphia offer today’s millennials all of those desirable options to grow as responsible Philadelphians, but our city has culture, history, and charm (oh … and killer food).

Everything the younger generation wants, right? I would say so.

So what is Philadelphia’s Avenue of the Arts?

AOTA was created back in 1990 by Paul Levy and the Center City District (or as it was more commonly referred to back then, Central Philadelphia Development Corporation). It was an opportunity to reinvent South Broad St as an entertainment district for the arts, and also to bring local suburbanites (as well as tourists) to Philadelphia for an evening of entertainment, dinner, and drinks.

Pretty ingenious at a time when old, industrial cities had consistently rough images; including our neighbors in New York, DC, and Boston.

It was then Mayor Ed Rendell who ran with CCD’s idea and secured both public/private funding for multiple projects spanning from City Hall to Spruce St. Also, a streetscape plan took shape which helped clean up the avenue, making it cleaner and brighter (and more walkable). Next, the arrival of the Kimmel Center as well as upscale, residential development. AOTA was on fire, and is still doing very well today (thanks to visionaries like Carl Dranoff).

“So Tim, why rethink what is already working? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it; right?”

Wrong.

Although AOTA sparked a renewed interest in urban living, that particular model may already be a bit outdated. At the time, it was based on the arts movement in NYC, but technology changes things fast these days.

Why do I feel it is a bit outdated, you ask?

Because younger generations today are more spread throughout the city, in neighborhoods like Fishtown, Passyunk Square, and even my own ‘hood (Manayunk/Roxborough). Now that more newly-minted Philadelphians have spread out around Philadelphia’s core urban districts (Center City & University City), the city is functioning more as a whole these days where each neighborhood/section has its own destinations and entertainment options.

That’s why this article was written, and it’s also why those reasons make sense. Why have just an “Avenue of the Arts,” when you can have a “City of Arts.”

Chime in on the comments section below, if the mood strikes you.

New development has really put Graduate Hospital on the map

 
If you’re familiar with Philadelphia and its many neighborhoods, then you are definitely familiar with Graduate Hospital; a tiny, well-defined neighborhood in South Philadelphia (or Southwest Center City, it just depends who you ask).

G-Ho, Grad Hosp, and South-of-South are all common names for this nabe, but the real success of Graduate Hospital was kickstarted by Naval Square almost 10 years ago. Toll Brothers purchased this abandoned Naval Academy, which also happened to be the country’s first, back in 1988 as a portfolio project. But it wasn’t until 2005 that the first new homes were built and sold in this gated community.

Fred Glick and I created some informative videos on Graduate not too long ago, so if you haven’t seen them before I’ve posted the links below for you:

Graduate Hospital – Part 1

Graduate Hospital – Part 2

Graduate Hospital – Part 3

Although Naval Square ignited G-Ho’s real estate success, it was the efforts of individual investors/developers who really moved it forward. Philadelphia’s older neighborhoods consist of rowhomes, twin homes, and the like. Which means there are many more homes/parcels on 1 city block than on 1 suburban block. Which also means that you need a lot of like-minded people on board if you want to turn things around. They banded together, and now South-of-South is also known as one of Philadelphia’s top family-friendly neighborhoods.

What was once known as an undesirable place to live due to the threat of a new expressway cutting across its core, has since become one of the most popular neighborhoods in the city.

This article is a great place to start if you are unfamiliar with G-Ho.

How do most Philadelphians get to work everyday?

 
Car?

Bus?

Train?

Subway?

Walk … Run … Bike?

The answer to this question is public transportation.

To put things into perspective, a recent study by the Center City District (CCD) and Central Philadelphia Development Corporation (CPDC) revealed that an astonishing 70% of Philadelphians use public transportation to commute to work. This includes all forms (e.g. bus, train, subway, etc).

Wow, 70%! That’s crazy high.

What does this mean, and why am I blogging about it?

It means that not only has the overall mindset among those living in Philadelphia changed from car-centric to commuter-friendly, but it also forces developers to start thinking differently about their current and future projects. Which in turn, changes the way development is ultimately decided upon across the entire Philadelphia region.

As PlanPhilly notes, 2 local developers were interviewed in this article. They both agree that access to public transportation is a key component during the development planning process.

And it should be.

If 7 out of 10 people already need public transportation to continue their current job commute, why would you build something that does not give them the option to access it easily? Since this trend doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon, it’s only going to become more important in the years to come.

Please also understand that this type of thinking has large real estate implications as well. If 70% of Philadelphians prefer to use public transportation over a car, it will have an impact on home values as well. To be honest, it already does today in some parts of the city; including the neighborhood I call home (Manayunk/Roxborough). Most Manayunk/Roxborough buyers/renters, that I work with today, inquire upfront about their potential public transportation options for each home we view.

My guess is that this post will spawn future posts about public transportation and real estate, but for now, please enjoy a brief introduction to this change in preference.