Jeffrey M. Vinocur · CC BY 2.5. Resized; thumbnails may be cropped.
Rittenhouse Square: what the paths and edges of a neighborhood square do
Paths, benches and surrounding streets make Rittenhouse Square more than a green rectangle.
PA / Northeast
Philadelphia
Explore the neighborhoods, public spaces and buildings of Philadelphia through 8 articles.
ajay_suresh · CC BY 2.0. Resized; thumbnails may be cropped.
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Reading Terminal Market: a working food market beneath a former railway terminal
The market’s dense interior grew from the meeting of food distribution and railway infrastructure.
John Phelan · CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized; thumbnails may be cropped.
Philadelphia City Hall: how a civic building occupies the city grid
Philadelphia’s City Hall places municipal government at the crossing of two major streets.
Nikanavi · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized; thumbnails may be cropped.
Elfreths Alley: a residential street with a long public history
A narrow residential lane preserves evidence of trades and households near Philadelphia’s early waterfront.
Washington Square Philadelphia: layers of public ground and commemoration
Before becoming a landscaped square, this ground held burials and gatherings that remain central to its history.
michaelwm25 · CC BY 3.0. Resized; thumbnails may be cropped.
Schuylkill Banks: understanding a river trail inside the city
A river trail and an over-water boardwalk negotiate the narrow space between Philadelphia’s infrastructure and the Schuylkill.
Kelly Anne Martin (kellygrape) from Philadelphia · CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized; thumbnails may be cropped.
Society Hill Philadelphia: looking at preservation and change together
Society Hill combines surviving early houses, selective restoration, modern infill and the consequences of urban renewal.
Eastern State Penitentiary: reading a radial prison plan and its later interpretation
Eastern State’s radiating corridors express a theory of imprisonment that changed long before the prison closed.