Spring Garden: Green Street Church Adapted into Chapel Lofts
When Isaac and Rose Miller arrived to Philadelphia in 1986, they were originally looking for a historic district to buy a home from. After seeing the Spring Garden neighborhood in a book about restored historic areas, they became convinced about moving there, which they eventually did in 1998. They moved next to an old church […]
Brewerytown: Residents Adapting Alongside New Developments, Businesses
Brewerytown is an attractive neighborhood to people looking for the cool, new hot spot to live. Its accessibility by public transportation and its proximity to Center City and Fairmount Park have made it an enticing area for developers and new residents. It’s no question that Brewerytown has seen changes in recent years. New apartment buildings […]
Strawberry Mansion: Property Developers Strive To Improve Neighborhood
When walking through Strawberry Mansion, you may notice an overabundance of vacant properties and abandoned houses. It was not always like this. Due to redlining, a racist collusion between banks and city government, where people of certain races were prevented from buying homes in certain sections of the city, the historic neighborhood on the edge […]
Kingsessing: In Changing Neighborhood, ‘Play Terrains’ Project Opens Dialogue
Meghan Talarowski thinks play can bring anyone together. “There’s no race, there’s no economic status related to play,” Talarowski said. “Everybody plays. That’s what we do. It’s like a basic human nature.” Talarowski, a landscape architect, developed such a passion for play that she made it her career. Almost three years ago, she founded Studio […]
Social Issues: Pew’s Larry Eichel Speaks About Population Shifts In The City And Neighborhoods
Larry Eichel has been the head of the Philadelphia Research Initiative at the Pew Charitable Trust for nine years. The nonprofit seeks to inform the conversation and highlight key issues to provide context for changes happening in Philadelphia. In his time there, Eichel has worked researching the city’s issues and demographics for the benefit of […]
How To: Start A Registered Community Organization (RCO)
A few years ago, City Council established new qualifications for community organizations that wish to be part of development decisions in their area. Registered Community Organizations (RCO) are formal groups of community members that weigh in on the physical development of their neighborhood, from community gardens to zoning issues. When a developer wants to build […]
Hunting Park: Esperanza Aims to Improve Neighborhood Conditions
Esperanza is a faith-based community development corporation and nonprofit organization. It was founded in 1986 by the Hispanic clergy of Philadelphia. At the time, the Hispanic clergy wanted to address some of the larger problems that the community faced – access to affordable housing, access to jobs, safe communities and an education. Philip Dawson, 29, […]
Northwest: The Craft Beer Industry Is Booming. Here’s Why.
Twenty years ago, when Philly entrepreneur Harry Renner and restaurateur Michael Rose decided to open up a brewpub in a former cotton mill factory on Main Street, they didn’t know what to expect. They were one of the first new craft breweries to open in the city. “It was Harry Renner’s vision,” Rose said. “He had […]
Mount Airy: Redevelopment Projects Look to Eliminate Blight, Improve Livelihood of Historic Neighborhood
Dating back to the 1680s, when it was a just small part of Germantown, the neighborhood of Mount Airy has a rich history that has shaped the diverse and tight-knit community that it is today. In 1750, William Allen, a chief justice for the province of Pennsylvania, built an estate at the corner of modern-day […]
Northwest Philadelphia: Jumpstart Germantown Looks to Revitalize the Community One Property at a Time
Jumpstart Germantown is a redevelopment program that was established in April, 2014 by Mount Airy real estate developer Ken Weinstein. The organization tackles the problems of blighted properties in the Northwest by training a new generation of developers how to invest in and revitalize real estate. “I liked taking junk, something like old buildings, and doing […]