Chinatown: Community Gives Feedback on Recommended Improvements to Vine Street Corridor
For many Chinatown residents, the time had come to see plans for a safer future. The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission held an open house Thursday at the Holy Redeemer Chinese Catholic Church and School at 10th and Vine streets. The DVRPC — which is the federally designated metropolitan planning organization that serves Philadelphia and […]
Chinatown: Efforts Underway to Address Safety Concerns Near Vine Street Expressway
Initial planning has begun on measures to address pedestrian and vehicle safety concerns near the Vine Street Expressway, or Interstate-676, in Chinatown. The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, which is the federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization that serves Philadelphia and eight suburban counties in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, held a kickoff meeting for its “Reviving […]
Chinatown: Stakeholders Tackle Crucial Development Questions As Neighborhood Grows
The story of Philadelphia’s Chinatown isn’t unique. But the history of this city’s Asian immigrant- and Asian-American home is, for residents, what makes it stand out from other stories of gentrification. Historically, Chinatowns have grown in abandoned urban neighborhoods, unwanted for things other than industrial business. In Philadelphia, this part of town – called Chinatown […]
Chinatown: Gate Serves as Symbolic Entrance to Philadelphia’s Asian Community
In a neighborhood that’s stood in Philadelphia since the 1870s, the Friendship Gate at 10th and Arch streets seems young by comparison—it was finished and dedicated in January 1984. Chinatown’s symbolic entrance, however, might not have been erected if it weren’t for Dick Doran, an assistant to former mayor William Green. Doran elevated the importance […]
Chinatown North/Callowhill: Naming the Neighborhood Proves To Be Longtime Challenge
There’s a battle of sorts being waged near the Vine Street Expressway. Development throughout the entire city has been picking up over the past few years in Philadelphia, and the area north of Chinatown is no exception. But it’s not just arguments over development that are sparking debate between community leaders in the neighborhood north […]
Chinatown: Officials Weigh Competing Proposals for Development at Parking Lot Site
Cecilia Yep has served the Chinatown community for decades. As one of the founders of the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corp., she has fought what she considers intrusive development, including a proposed stadium near the Vine Street Expressway and Chinatown’s northern border. And on March 6, in a overflowing meeting room at 1234 Market St., Yep […]
Chinatown: Groups Work To Increase Residents’ Participation In Politics, Elections
Election Day has come and gone and many are either celebrating or discouraged by the result. While this brought an end to the current election cycle, the work done to increase the political involvement of the Chinese community is far from over. Just this year, the nonprofit Philadelphia Tri-state Chinese American Association formed, with Yong Peng as its […]
Chinatown: John Chin Seeks To Bring Divided Community Together
John Chin, the executive director of Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corp. (PCDC), is at the forefront of a neighborhood split in two. According to city maps, the space above the Vine Street Expressway is considered Callowhill. But it is known to Chin – as well as to his colleagues and, Chin hopes, many others in the future – […]
Chinatown: A Community Leader Who Learns from Challenges
John Chin, 49, the Executive Director of Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation (PCDC), was born and raised in Philadelphia’s Chinatown. As Chin comfortably sat in the black swivel chair with a nice white dress shirt tucked into his black slacks, he began to share the beginnings of the corporation. PCDC first opened its doors in 1966, […]
Callowhill: Post-Industrial Area Continues to Evolve
Past: Sewing Industry Centralized in Callowhill “The sewing industry was very prominent in the Callowhill neighborhood before the early 1990s,” said Bob Weinstein (right). Weinstein’s father bought the building at 1025 Cherry St. for a commercial sewing machine business in 1951 and Bob Weinstein has been working in the area since 1961. In 1992, Weinstein […]