By executive order, Mayor John Street established an advisory group for the project and designated PennPraxis as the primary consultant for the initiative. PennPraxis is the nonprofit consulting arm of the University of Pennsylvania's department of architecture's school of design. Harris Steinberg, the founding executive director of the consultancy and a member of the architecture department's faculty, is heading the effort.
During a forum titled "Reclaiming Center City's Waterfront," held by the Central Philadelphia Development Corp., Steinberg told attendees how the process would begin and also received suggestions from the CPDC; Alex Krieger, who is a professor of urban design at Harvard; and Gerard Sweeney, CEO of Brandywine Realty Trust and chairman of Schuylkill River Development Corp. Steinberg promised the initiative would "start with the people of Philadelphia" during four public sessions this December before "bringing in experts in January."
The mayor's order comes at a time when riverfront development is gaining speed with construction of several residential condos and prospects for at least one, if not two casinos, which will be designated by the state gaming control board in December. Riverfront use is "developer driven," said Paul Levy, CPDC's executive director. "There is no public plan."
People are returning to cities, Krieger said, not for safety or economics, "but to enjoy life. They have two expectations of waterfronts: a larger landscape that brings them closer to nature and a place for excitement and congregation with other people. Make sure you avoid homogenization of projects. Make development exceptional, not ordinary," he urged.
Citing a lack of public funding and acknowledging the high cost of creating a developable riverfront infrastructure, he said, "Do a bunch of small things. Maybe it's time not to focus on Penn's Landing so exclusively. Dream big. Over time, the small things will contribute to the big thing."
Both Krieger and Levy advocated public right-of-way along the water's edge, including a trail for pedestrians and bicyclists. Levy also suggested a river taxi and shuttle system to move people among waterfront destinations and improved access to the Ben Franklin Bridge walkway that connects to the Camden, NJ waterfront.
Sweeney acknowledged there are differences between the Schuylkill and Delaware riverfront initiatives. The Schuylkill River is controlled by the city, and "there was an alignment of interests" among stakeholders, such as trail and economic development advocates, "which is not so along the Delaware," he said. He suggested a five-year master plan and also suggested events, such as the SRDC's recent 12 Bridges Regatta, to enlist public interest and support.
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