I know it is late (about 6 months into the new mayor's first year). But facing the urgency of steering our town toward a more healthy state of survivability over the coming years, decades, we must ensure that THIS administration puts in place structures, principles, and policies that will support the major changes that we will face in commerce, economics, social structures, educattion, transportation, food, water, work, energy, resource consumption et al.

Please call or write if you are interested. And make it "sooner rather than later..."

Bill Marston, LEED AP
ARFITACT at me dot com or 215-557 9445 wkdays

Today's Daily Pennsylvanian has an editorial on the need to redesign the proposed South Street Bridge improvements. I whole-heartedly concur.

Here's the editorial:

In its eagerness to push through a flawed design, Philadelphia's Streets department is burning bridges with its residents.

With the planned reconstruction of the South Street Bridge, Philadelphia had the rare opportunity to develop a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly link between Penn's campus and Center City.

Instead, the Streets department has developed an ugly chute for funneling cars onto I-76 ramps, drawing a chorus of criticism from neighborhood groups, business associations and urban planners.

Their concerns are worthy of review. Rather than simply ignoring community feedback and spending $50 million on a flawed plan, city officials need to take off their blinders and consider redesigning the bridge to meet the community's needs.

Philadelphia can't afford to have instance after instance of bad city planning.