Philly has so many high quality infill projects.
The creation of simple and graceful buildings like this around the city is a key reason why it has remained relatively affordable, incrementally scaling up single family homes and lots allow for a few apartments and retail.
Masterplanned urban developments carried out by one or a few firms are a tricky case study to analyze, but deserve our scrutiny given their rising number.
They can deliver much needed homes, public amenities, & green space at scale. But too often they lack a humanity or grace.
In the 1980’s, Kellogg’s pressured the city of Battle Creek to demolish a thriving neighborhood to make way for a connector freeway. The highway never materialized and the Post Addition still reels.