The arena didn’t magically transform the area - it was bound to happen anyway just as the Gallery will have to be redeveloped at some point.Īt this point it just seems like people don’t like the arena because they don’t like it - classic NIMBYism. There’s also several museums and malls in the immediate vicinity. DC’s Chinatown is centrally located and was already experiencing gentrification with new apartments, office buildings, hotels etc. Although, it doesn’t make a lot of sense. They tend to refer to the Capitol One Arena as an example of how it apparently impacted DC’s Chinatown. What exactly are they expecting? Is it entirely about the threat of gentrification? Wouldn't it ensure that restaurants and other establishments would thrive under the increased foot traffc and critical mass that the area will see? In an effort to distill this down to the simplest question, why again is it a given that an arena at this location equals the imminent demise of Chinatown? They're certainly the loudest but by no means are they the only interested stakeholder. Having said this, it bears repeating that Chinatown is not the sole arbiter of this arena happening or not. Thank goodness I'm not in public relations, because if I was the Sixers, I'd tell Chinatown leaders either sit down and let's chat or we're just going to plow ahead and you'll get nothing. No one is saying, "Hey, let's talk about ways to mitigate our concerns." If the Sixers end up building this arena, which I really hope happens, Chinatown's fears will only be realized because of their own failure to extract concessions. Given that this arena will represent an opportunity for the Sixers to essentially print money, they certainly can spend a little more to try to minimize any negative impacts on their neighbors.īut Chinatown is not interested in negotiating. :mad2:īut you can't fool someone who LIVED in Philadelphia - NONE OF THE TIME.That said, it has to be done thoughtfully, understanding the very real possibility of unintended consequences on near neighbors. You can fool some of the people some of the timeīut you can't fool someone who LIVED in Philadelphia - NONE OF THE TIME. Philadelphia was trying to be - you can be in denial all you want but when it comes to skyscrapers - I have been a fan from a very young age. Just ask about the incomplete subway tunnel under the Roosevelt Boulevard if you need an example.īut no, Philadelphia was not trying NOT to be like New York. There was supposed to be more subway lines. Philadelphia was supposed to have more skyscrapers. Shortly thereafter, other skyscraper projects began and thus the transformation of Center City.Įverything that is happening is NOT the way it was originally planned.
The resulted public opinion was in favor of real skyscrapers for the city of Philadelphia. Rouse, III (he died of lung cancer from smoking) decided it was time to build skyscrapers in Philadelphia, so he pushed for his vision of a project that was split between 3 boring low rise towers (not as high as that statue of William Penn on top of City Hall) - versus reaching for the sky. I know the city better than you can imagine.
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