Soapbox
Second Time’s the Charm?
As ground was broken on the new Dilworth Plaza, we look back at what went wrong the first time around > more
In Roxborough, Will Land Use Mistakes Follow Ethics Violations?
A developer's proposal for the former Ivy Ridge Personal Care facility, which closed in 2009 after massive criminal violations, falls short of our urban expectations > more
South Philly Crosstown Bus Is A Mistake
Here's a transit-minded counter-thesis--and a way forward to leverage the wonderfully dense, but also hidden, bus network > more
Make No Small Plans
On the elusive potential of the Ben Franklin Parkway and the necessity of thinking big (while recognizing the value of small interventions and organic change) > more
When Caesar’s Palace Meets Publisher’s Clearing House
Fishtown's near run-in with a casino den last week was a first, but by no means will it be the last. Here's how a "sweepstakes cafe" operates and why we should worry > more
Still Trashing Ourselves
A lament for the lost buildings of the year, and a reckoning for a city that isn't quite serious enough > more
City Controller’s Plan to Demo Schools Short-Sighted and Uninformed
The vast majority of empty schools are anything but threats to the community--they're architectural assets waiting to be leveraged > more
At The Foot Of The Mountain
Why "traditional architecture" isn't necessary at the Museum of the American Revolution and how the new Acropolis Museum in Athens can point us in another direction > more
Sign of the Times
Why is the city ignoring illegal bandit signs, which clutter vulnerable neighborhoods and prey on the poor and desperate? > more
Friends In High Places
Furness Week, day two: Frank Furness was architect to the post-Civil War stars, the super-rich who built the city we occupy today > more
Sexy-Ugly
First up for Furness Week here at Hidden City Daily we have Paul VanMeter of Viaduct Greene with his take on the Philadelphia architect's life and work: complex, powerful, and almost "deliberately perverse" > more
Not So Bad for an S.O.B.
Development imminent, the writer reconsiders his long held impression that the building is a failure > more
Designing Together
With 500 projects in 20 years, the Community Design Collaborative shows us how to get it done > more
Opportunities Lost
We've given away our power to wow, delight, and inform > more
Rowhouse Revised
An innovative affordable housing project in North Philly transcends its suburban appearance > more
Where Are My Mermaids and Horses?
A writer's lament for the lost public art of Delaware Avenue > more
A Beer Garden, Philly-style
A look at the German restaurant's architecture, which blends 19th century industrial ruin with 21st century beer garden > more








