Southwest Philadelphia, a rich, varied and somewhat undefined region of the city, showcases both local vibrancy and underinvestment. It’s home to neighborhoods like Kingsessing, unique business sectors, such as Little Africa along Chester and Woodland Avenues, and educational and municipal centers. Three of SEPTA’s 8 trolley lines travel through the area, making the Trolley Modernization […]

A world-class redevelopment is underway on the banks of the Schuylkill River in West Philadelphia. It’s been called one of the most exceptional transit-oriented developments in the nation and an opportunity for architects, engineers, planners and designers to lay the foundation for Philadelphia’s bright future. See the elements already built and hear directly from project […]

Update: This Mobile Workshop ends at 2pm, not 12:45 as originally published. The lunch is an authentic Chinese dim sum buffet. Roosevelt Boulevard, 12 lanes wide, runs through northeast Philadelphia, carrying 90,000 vehicles and 20,000 people via bus per day. It is one of the deadliest roads in the country, with a crash every 4.5 […]

Boost your familiarity with a variety of types of transit service – and find out how SEPTA is improving to meet the needs of today’s riders. The SEPTA system combines bus, trolley, subway/el and regional rail inherited from five different private companies. Experience city and suburban transit offerings including: an electrified regional rail line with […]

Learn about the vision – and growing reality – for revitalizing Kingsessing, a neighborhood in Southwest Philadelphia that suffers from unsafe streets, obsolete public housing and lack of access to nearby amenities such as Bartram’s Garden (the nation’s first botanical garden, started in 1728!) and the Schuylkill River Trail. Hear from SEPTA about improvements that […]

Take regional rail to Southwest Philadelphia. The nearby John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, the first urban wildlife refuge in the nation, protects Pennsylvania’s largest remaining freshwater tidal marsh, with 1200 acres, ten miles of trails, a canoe ramp and opportunities to see birds, native wildlife and plants. End with Eastwick, Philadelphia’s lowest-elevation neighborhood. […]

Explore two of William Penn’s original squares – Logan and Center – and the public spaces that tie them together. Along the way learn about 300 years of planning history and varying contemporary solutions to reinvigorating, accessing and managing public open spaces. Penn’s surveyor, Thomas Holme, laid out the street grid and five squares still […]

The Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia once was a center for textile manufacturing, an industry that generated more than 300,000 local jobs. But when factories closed after World War II, a long period of disinvestment followed. Today Kensington is notorious for its open-air drug market and the presence of transient drug users along commercial corridors and […]

American Street in the heart of North Philadelphia tells a story of a corridor in transition, from an era of factories to disused blocks of vacant lots to a new generation of transit-supportive green and complete streets. It’s also a story of collaboration between city streets and water departments, the transit agency and state and […]

Explore transit-oriented developments (TODs) along the Schuylkill River northwest of the City of Philadelphia in the growing borough of Conshohocken and its adjacent development areas, Whitemarsh Township and Spring Mill. Find out how Montgomery County’s Transit-Oriented Development Model Ordinance guides municipalities in adding appropriate building typologies and station-area features to their zoning codes for use […]

Please note: Due to changes in train schedules, Mobile Workshop 18 now starts at 12:45 pm (not 1:00 pm as originally stated).  One of the great things to see and experience at the conference is Philadelphia’s deep history as a transit-oriented region. But, as in many cities around the country, there’s demand for more housing […]

Bicycle approximately 8.5 miles along the Delaware River and learn about the Master Plan for the Central Delaware River, which guides policy and investment strategies for 6 miles of riverfront. See some of the changes since the plan’s adoption in 2012: six waterfront parks, three connector streets and nearly three miles of the Delaware River […]

The U.S. Navy’s former Philadelphia shipyard is now one of Philadelphia's fastest growing employment centers and a unique part of the city, with biotech and fashion companies amidst historic buildings, riverfront open space, and big ships. It’s a leading model for repurposing military and industrial assets for a diversified and inclusive modern economy. But it’s […]

2026 marks America's 250th birthday. To get ready, Philadelphia’s Old City neighborhood, home to the oldest continuously inhabited residential street in the nation and the church where George Washington and Ben Franklin worshipped, began a visioning process. The result, Vision2026, sets goals for optimal private development and defines the elements of a high-quality public realm. […]

Hear about two approaches to understanding and enacting sustainability goals, within communities and in systems and practices. The Global Philadelphia Association works with local partners to fund and create murals focused on United Nations Sustainable Development goals. Each project brings grant dollars to local nonprofits, educational institutions and artists, building local engagement with what sustainability […]

Explore several different kinds of bicycle facilities in Center City Philadelphia and hear the stories of how they came to be, including collaboration with community groups, businesses, elected officials and other agencies. The approximately 8-mile route includes bike lanes, protected bike lanes, curb protected bike lanes, the Delaware River Trail, a road diet and the […]

Fishtown, a neighborhood along the Delaware River just north of Center City, is one of Philadelphia’s hottest and most transformed rowhome neighborhoods. A “riverward,” its origins date back to the 18th and 19th centuries, when working-class communities sprung up in response to maritime commerce and the Industrial Revolution. Today, the story is transit-oriented development (TOD) […]

Scattered across Philadelphia, community gardens provide fresh food and flowers for residents of every background. But not only that: often started by community members on vacant parcels, the gardens provide social, environmental and economic benefits. They are places for seniors to sit, a way to preserve cultural foodways, an opportunity to teach younger generations how […]

South 9th Street and East Passyunk Avenue are iconic Philadelphia neighborhood commercial corridors. 9th is home to the Italian Market, one of America’s oldest and largest open-air markets, featuring businesses that have been in families for generations and new immigrant-owned shops. East Passyunk crosses 9th diagonally at “Cheesesteak Vegas,” with Gino’s Steaks on one triangular […]

There’s a road diet on the eastern half of Washington Avenue but not on the western half. Washington Avenue is a 5-lane arterial in South Philadelphia that touches Black, Vietnamese, Mexican and Italian communities along its route. It’s a quickly changing corridor with multiple large development projects. Take the bus to Washington Avenue and walk […]