Here are some of the design principles we should keep in mind -- and a few of the questions we should be asking -- as City Council begins vetting the Sixers arena proposal.
The prospect of an arena for the 76ers atop Jefferson Station on Market Street presents Philadelphia with an opportunity to create a truly world-class civic building. But we can achieve this only if Mayor Cherelle L. Parker and City Council require it to be a strong urban asset catalyzing the redevelopment of this long-distressed historic shopping corridor, and not a stand-alone structure driven largely by the needs of the team and game day.
With Council poised to begin considering arena legislation as soon as Thursday, we must dig into the details of the proposal and ensure we get a great civic building. To inform the public during what's expected to be a make-or-break month of discussions, the Civic Design Studio at Drexel's Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation analyzed the current plans for the arena and developed a set of urban design principles to push the design to best serve the public and be a destination every day, and not just game days.
" READ MORE: Here's the one question we haven't answered in the Market Street arena debate | Opinion
Principle 1: Create a world-class transit hub that attracts city and suburban riders, convinces drivers to leave their cars at home, enhances daily use, and exceeds the goals of 40% of attendees arriving via public transit.
Jefferson Station is an incredible asset where all our transit lines come together. Can the arena be designed to allow for a truly grand civic space with a gracious Market Street entry, creating a sense of arrival into a beautiful, well-lit, active station that incentivizes transit use? We need only look to New York's Penn Station and Madison Square Garden as a cautionary tale. Philadelphia must get this gateway right as part of the arena design.
Principle 2: Connect the arena to the rest of the city with great public spaces that rival Reading Terminal Market, the Grand Court at Wanamaker's, and the waiting room at 30th Street Station.
Imagine the ground floor of the arena as a great public space that stretches from Market to Filbert Streets and beyond: capturing the energy of Reading Terminal Market and connecting with Chinatown to the north. It will be critical to ensure that this civic space remains truly active and public on nongame days, and not fall prey to the fate of other public buildings with deadening interior spaces.
Principle 3: Design a great civic building on par with City Hall, Reading Terminal, and the PSFS building.
The arena must set the tone for the character and quality of design on Market East, using materials of substance and lasting consequence. Allowing the inside to be more visible to the street, incorporating public art worthy of the city's heritage, and designing gathering spaces both inside and outside that serve as everyday great civic rooms could help to create a sense of place and a new civic landmark.
Principle 4: Be a good neighbor by ensuring the building can attract new development to East Market Street and positively reach out to adjoining neighborhoods.
The proposed arena design will be able to have signage with advertising up to 10 times larger than what Market Street currently allows. Will Times Square-scale signage and brightness levels contribute to a lively mixed-use district that attracts residents? And if we can successfully create a mixed-use community on Market, how can we work in parallel to apply zoning and historic preservation protections to Chinatown to support thoughtful cultural preservation and mitigate displacement?
Principle 5: Contribute to economic vibrancy and the life of Market Street and adjacent neighborhoods.
We must ensure the arena is designed to serve as a civic gateway to Chinatown, and not turn its back on that great neighborhood. Could the design create a new gateway through an open mid-block lot on Arch Street? Could this area provide new green space and a potential market space owned and programmed by community leaders? City leaders can ensure nearby parcels targeted for redevelopment create a 24-hour community that supports public life so that the arena is not an island of intermittent activity. Included with this should be developing a vision for Market East that places the arena in the context of a vibrant city street connecting seamlessly with the historic district and the vitality along the central Delaware riverfront.
These principles are a start to help us analyze the urban design impact of the arena on the future of East Market Street. The legislative process is on a fast track, so let's ensure we ask the right questions, get good answers, and codify a world-class civic design into law. If we're successful, this development will be a true civic asset that future generations can be proud of. Let's seize this moment to get East Market Street right.