Ben S

Philadelphia Art Museum — Gretel

gretelny.com/philadelphia...

Instead of people, Philly pioneers the concept of colocating libraries with cars

What I heard was that the signals are timed for 15MPH bus speeds, but out of safety concerns buses are limited to 10MPH so they always miss the green

If Rocky is staying on the steps to get people inside, then why did the museum spend millions to move their main entrance to ground level??? (The statue's original location was easier to find the entrance too)

Step one is we need more creative people in the Rebuild/Capital Projects office, who are adamant on overseeing design/construction one facility at a time resulting in cancellation of over half of all sites!

Great example in Jersey City of a new library branch going into a first floor commercial space as part of a community benefits agreement
www.jerseycitynj.gov/news/mayorje...
bsky.app/profile/3und...

This in no way absolves what happened here, but I will note that older trails like the Schuylkill River Trail have extremely narrow pinch points and widths that don't meet modern expectations of travel at variable speeds. Car ROWs get regularly widened but trails are ignored

Mayor Parker’s neighborhood engagement director ‘has been separated’ from the city after allegedly accosting a Council member City Councilmember Isaiah Thomas accused Hassan Freeman and another city employee of accosting him three weeks ago at the lawmaker’s parking spot outside City Hall.

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s neighborhood engagement director is no longer with the administration after allegedly accosting a City Council member.

I can't stop thinking about this. We're pursuing zero fire risk in multifam, while tolerating much more in single-fam. People respond by building and living in single-fam, where they're exposed to not only one of the highest fire death risks in the developed world, but also TONS more car crash risk

📚 A new chapter begins! Island Press will be joining @princetonupress.bsky.social in 2026 — uniting two mission-driven publishers dedicated to shaping a better planet.

Learn more about this historic collaboration: islandpress.org/PUP

Post Brothers secures $170M loan for expansion of Northern Liberties apartment project - Philadelphia Business Journal Planned amenities include a rooftop lap and lounge pool, a fitness center, saunas and steam rooms.

Post Brothers is the only legit new-build developer in Philly these days, and I'm not sure who is even close
www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia...

Is lack of ventilation in the current tunnel a problem, or does the piston effect suffice?

It absolutely was but 1) failure to disentangle Keystone Corridor pax/freight towards Enola resulted in Lehigh Valley freight saturation, 2) lack of govt policy to share and allocate electric power between Amtrak and Conrail was a missed opportunity

SEPTA put out an EOI for short-term/weekend uses for underutilized parking lots and properties as part of the transit oriented communities program

Amtrak didn't have any ability to carry moneymaking freight but was federally charged to pursue profitability, resulting in this perverse outcome. Not what a "socialist" rail policy would likely set up (cc @a320lga.bsky.social)

While the D&L is a great PA-side link, there isn't a great place to land a path on the NJ side. Burlington County should commit to make these connections into the distribution centers

lol by that theory thousands of people should have fallen in SEPTA tracks by now

The semi-regular reapplication of zoning permits to prop up land value. I'll believe it when I see it

The Northeast Corridor Commission was supposed to be this, but in practice...(not going to express honest opinions here)

What do those conductors do?

Most agencies prefer to keep internal bickering hidden from the public as a good-faith effort (and because Amtrak controls their rent)

Rob Thompson watches Dave Roberts fuck up and, not wanting to be outdone as a fuckup, calls for a bunt with a man on second and no one out. Jesus H. Christ.

An express bus West Chester-Paoli timed with SEPTA probably beats the 104+L though

By not needing to fumble with manual trapdoors at stations that switch level

They would be forced to give a response had the Democrats held out for transit funding. Now GOP doesn't need to say a word

If the conductor union can accept relief from fare duties without loss of salary then all is well. Also the faregates are a pure UX issue and will be resolved through wayfinding upgrades

Sneak Peek: SEPTA's Reimagining Regional Rail Agenda SEPTA's proposal could increase service by more than 100%, while doubling regional rail ridership

SEPTA released some info about their Reimagining Regional Rail reform proposal on a TRB webinar. Some details on the Build Philly Now Substack buildphillynow.substack.com/p/sneak-peek...

SEPTA is trying out PoP through Trolley Mod first to see how it can be scaled on other modes

Eliminating split shifts and getting to 2PTO through high platforms

A street view image showing how there's no pedestrian crossing near a staircase that's poorly maintained.

A historical image of a pedestrian path leading up to the Girard Ave Bridge.

Kelly Drive in Fairmount Park has been engineered to remove most pedestrian crossings and amenities, to speed up traffic.

A thread with 8 examples of things that have been lost, with historical images. South to north.

1. A staircase from the river trail to the Girard Ave Bridge, and Brewerytown: