In 1986, design competition City Visions challenged contestants to build a better Philadelphia. No idea was too big or too small and all was encouraged to enter. On the competition’s anniversary Contributor Ann de Forest takes a look back and finds a spirit of innovation akin to the city’s current approach to urban design solutions

A new entrance to Laurel Hill Cemetery is in the works that will transform how pedestrians and cyclists access the historic burial garden from the Schuylkill River Trail. The gateway adds another green attraction to the city’s growing web of interconnected public spaces

Cryptoportiwho? Michael Bixler went urban spelunking inside the network of service tunnels that lie beneath Hamilton’s Mansion with Woodlands Cemetery executive director Jessica Baumert. Open to the elements after more than a century, the subterranean passageways are currently undergoing major structural restoration

DRWC and Hargreaves pulled the curtain on the first phase of designing a better, bolder Penn’s Landing last night. Brad Maule draws highlights in this report

With a public meeting tonight, the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation and Hargreaves Associates will reveal the first designs for the future of Penn’s Landing, including the completion of the I-95 cap between Walnut and Chestnut, planned development of the open spaces, and a new pedestrian bridge at South Street over Columbus Boulevard.

A block party on Pearl Street this past Saturday turned the tiny throughway into a colorful community space, if only for a day. It was a big step toward recognizing the long term goal of making it an asset for the Callowhill/Chinatown North/Loft Distict neighborhood

A dozen years of planning and organizing produces Philadelphia’s first intentional skate park, which opened yesterday

Two projects are in the works to bring a stronger identity to Chinatown North. Brad Maule takes a look at how the Asian Arts Initiative’s Pearl Street plan intersects with the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation’s planned Eastern Tower