West Philadelphia contains 25 distinct neighborhoods, representing many different types of housing, lifestyles and living environments.
West Philadelphia's rapid urbanization occurred between 1910 and 1940, soon after the construction of the Market-Frankford El.
For planning purposes, the 25 neighborhoods are combined into four "Neighborhood Groupings." This organization recognizes that many neighborhoods share basic characteristics and issues.
One neighborhood grouping is located to the northeast of 52nd & Market Streets. Residents in this area are confronted with physical deterioration and poverty. Carefully defined "target areas" are recommended for treatment and revitalization.
The renewal of severely blighted neighborhoods should be approached under a new set of assumptions. It is unrealistic to assume that these neighborhoods will be repopulated to the levels that existed 50 to 70 years ago. The density of housing should change accordingly, meaning that future densities should be lower.
Open space must become a larger part of plans for neighborhood renewal. Badly deteriorated neighborhoods should be "greened and cleaned." Low income residents will not be displaced.
Most open spaces in these neighborhoods should be owned and maintained by the community itself. Transferring vacant and unused City property to community-based ownership is recommended. This is responsible and sensible public policy.
The University City neighborhoods have experienced significant reinvestment, but conditions vary greatly within this area. Historic preservation is a key recommendation.
Cobbs Creek, Haddington, Carroll Park and Overbrook are characterized by homeownership and stability, but these neighborhoods are threatened by pockets of deterioration. Major recommendations are to conserve existing housing and control the spread of blight.
A neighborhood conservation strategy is proposed for the neighborhoods west of 52nd Street. Additional site-specific recommendations are shown on the Summary of Recommendations map.
The vicinity of Baker Playground and Heston School contains many vacant lots and buildings. The existing blight must not be allowed to spread into the adjacent community. Housing rehabilitation is underway, sponsored by Philadelphia Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc. and the Overbrook Neighborhood Improvement Council. Private developers are also showing a willingness to invest in the area. This activity holds great promise for stimulating more widespread revitalization in this area, which is sometimes referred to as "Hestonville."
Development pressures, historic preservation and traffic are major concerns in the City Line neighborhoods. The issues are addressed through development guidelines and zoning recommendations. New incentives from area employers are needed to control the growth of traffic in the future.
The section of City Avenue located between Haverford Avenue and St. Joseph's University is characterized by residential uses, mature trees and landscaping. It provides much needed contrast to nearby commercial sections of the Avenue. It is important to prevent the future commercialization of this beautiful stretch of Route 1.
West Philadelphia's retail corridors have many advantages and are worthy of private and public investment. Self-management and consolidation highlight the recommendations of older retail centers.
Population has declined in the district, but substantial buying power still exists. West Philadelphia's total 1990 population of 220,000 was greater than the combined populations of Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton.
West Philadelphia functions mostly as a place to live. Fully 53% of the district's land area (excluding streets and parks) is used for residential purposes. West Philadelphians occupy 83,735 housing units or 13.9% of the City's 603,075 total occupied housing units. Residential development has created 25 distinct neighborhoods in West Philadelphia.
Part Three of The Plan for West Philadelphia examines neighborhoods and housing by (1) reviewing the history of West Philadelphia, (2) presenting an overview of relevant characteristics and data, (3) making recommendations for neighborhoods or groupings of neighborhoods, and (4) by evaluating the retail opportunities that are available to the residents of the district. The recommendations are far-reaching, ambitious and expensive; and still they are not a cure-all. The recommendations represent a planned strategy for improving West Philadelphia's neighborhoods during the next ten years. Funding these recommendations will require a major allocation of community development resources as the City of Philadelphia focuses on improving the neighborhoods of West Philadelphia.
The neighborhoods of West Philadelphia offer many different types of housing, lifestyles and living environments. The largest neighborhood, both in terms of land area (880 acres) and population (approximately 44,000) is Cobbs Creek (located south of Market Street and West of 52nd Street). Cobbs Creek is densely developed, mostly with row homes valued at $20,000 to $30,000, and includes two retail corridors that are old and congested. Family income levels are roughly 90% of the 1990 city-wide median of $30,140, and the racial composition of the population is more than 95% black. A large proportion of the residents depend on nearby bus, trolley and rapid transit lines to work and to shop. Deterioration of the housing stock is generally not a problem in Cobbs Creek, although vacant buildings are found on some busy streets and most of the boundary streets. Generally, Cobbs Creek is a stable neighborhood where working families live in well-kept row homes.
The smallest neighborhood in West Philadelphia is Green Hill Farms, situated along City Avenue between the neighborhoods of Overbrook Park and Overbrook Farms. The 366 residents of Green Hill Farms live in large detached houses that have a median sales price of about $150,000; collectively these residents have the highest 1990 median family income in West Philadelphia: $87,722. Most of the shopping is done by driving to modern retail centers located nearby on City Avenue or in the "Main Line" suburbs. Green Hill Farms is located within seven-tenths of a mile of two railroad stations, but less than one-quarter of the workers who live in the neighborhood use public transit for commuting. Seventy-nine percent of the residents are white, according to the 1990 Census. Green Hill Farms is an affluent neighborhood where families enjoy a suburban lifestyle. Other images of neighborhood life in West Philadelphia include:
Large, historic apartment buildings brimming with students; this is off-campus student housing near the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel and St. Joseph's Universities;
Rowhouse blocks where every other house is either vacant or used for public housing; where young children play amidst vacant lots, "drug houses" and deteriorated playgrounds; where the corner stores have either been demolished or are vacant and vandalized ;
Tree-lined streets where historic twin homes are occupied by young and middle-aged professionals and their families, and where many of the homeowners are alumni of Penn or Drexel who want to continue living close to the universities and Center City;
A sidewalk in the Belmont neighborhood, where a young woman and her infant son are taking the short walk from home to the stores of Lancaster Avenue, a shopping area where she will cash a check, buy diapers, milk, and new shoes, and get a prescription filled.
Almost every neighborhood in West Philadelphia is represented by a community group. The names and boundaries of many neighborhoods were established by the local community organization. Area-wide community organizations (or "umbrella" groups) also exist to stimulate action on issues that the member groups have in common; two umbrella groups that are currently active are the West Philadelphia Coalition of Neighborhoods and Businesses and the West Philadelphia Partnership. West Philadelphia also has its own Chamber of Commerce. The volunteers and staff of the area-wide organizations deal with the many interrelated factors that combine to make neighborhoods "whole." Their interests go beyond the familiar concerns of housing and city services; the groups are also addressing neighborhood needs such as schools, employment and job training, zoning and development, neighborhood retail services, public transit, parking, the environment, and more.
In this part of the plan, recommendations for improving the neighborhoods of West Philadelphia touch on all of these interrelated needs. The final section of Part Three, entitled "Shopping in West Philadelphia," focuses specifically on neighborhood retail services.
The emphasis on shopping as a neighborhood planning issue also reflects the Planning Commission's ongoing involvement in Neighborhood Commercial Revitalization (NCR) programs. Administered by the Philadelphia Commercial Development Corporation, NCR programs are aimed at strengthening retail strips and small businesses throughout the city. Philadelphia's NCR programs are funded with a combination of federal Community Development dollars and City capital funds. Plans for the City's Community Development program have always tried to recognize the importance of linking housing improvements with commercial revitalization.
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