Has any idea over the past 10 years quickened the pulse of Philadelphians more than turning the Reading Viaduct into a park?

Join us for a wide-ranging discussion of what the future holds for the elevated train trestle with landscape architect Bryan Hanes, who created the renderings for a park on the section of the Viaduct known as the SEPTA spur, Center City District President & CEO Paul Levy, Laura Spina, Senior Planner, Philadelphia City Planning Commission, along with representatives from the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation.

This second leg of our three-part series of “conversations” produced in partnership with AIA Philadelphia will be a chance to explore questions such as: Will the Reading Company, which owns most of the Viaduct, ever play ball with the City? How would the project be funded? Are we seeing a new level of partnership between local foundations, development corporation and the City of Philadelphia? What role can art play in imagining new futures for the Viaduct? And of course, what parallels can be drawn–if any–between the Viaduct and NYC’s High Line?

Reading Viaduct from abovve | Photo: Peer Woodall