WHYY • September 9, 2021 Why did new buildings flood in Philly? Outdated FEMA maps, city code The need for boat rescues illustrates both the unusual severity of last week’s storms and the challenge of designing flood-resistant buildings.
WHYY • September 2, 2021 Beyond Ida: Land use and climate change drive Philly flood risk “I’ve been flooded nine times in the last 21 years. It’s like having post-traumatic stress disorder every time there’s a dark cloud in the sky.”
Shelterforce • August 2, 2021 From Mobile Home Parks to Multifamily Housing Cooperatives Organizations that help create resident-owned mobile home communities are tiptoeing into the field of urban, multifamily cooperatives.
WHYY • April 1, 2021 D.C. raised $5 billion to rebuild toxic schools. Can Philly do the same? Activists call for comprehensive planning, but say school officials show little interest in collaborating.
Shelterforce • March 15, 2021 Did the Place-Based Initiatives of the 90s, 2000s Bring About Change? "Most of the interventions have not produced the degree of community transformation envisioned by their designers."
Shelterforce • November 2, 2020 Activists Win Control of Vacant Philadelphia Buildings: Now What? They're moving from agitating for reforms to managing a large affordable housing organization that could include more than 150 member-residents.
WHYY • August 31, 2020 Bryant Riley’s dream home turned into a nightmare. He blames City Hall. The dispute highlights the difficulties homebuyers face when they find construction defects, and the limits of the city’s oversight of builders.
Shelterforce • August 24, 2020 ‘We Need Those Houses’ — Activists Take Over Vacant Homes When she learned that her family would actually be illegally moving into a vacant PHA property, she hesitated—but only for a moment.
WHYY • August 17, 2020 ‘We're losing too many talented, bright people': next managing director vows to combat violence Tumar Alexander will oversee a vast swath of departments, but the need to reduce violence motivates him in particular.
WHYY • July 29, 2020 Some Philly schools want to use outdoor classrooms when IRL lessons resume The risk of viral transmission is lower outdoors, and learning outside is known to have measurable benefits for children.
WHYY • July 9, 2020 Passyunk postpones outdoor dining event after gun pulled in Old City mask fight The incident underlined the fact that the expansion of outdoor dining is still a new and fragile experiment.
WHYY • June 18, 2020 Philly could be the first U.S. city to address systemic racism with Black stimulus More than half a billion dollars would go toward investments in poor neighborhoods, job training, rent subsidies and basic income support.
WHYY • June 6, 2020 Money goes boom: Philly's history of exploding ATMs Experts on ATM security say the string of 50 explosions in Philadelphia this week is unprecedented.
WHYY • June 2, 2020 'We are resilient': Black community leaders work to rebuild battered mall They vowed to help businesses reopen and said the looting reflected the community's anger and despair.
WHYY • May 5, 2020 Patients crowdfund for Einstein hospital as COVID takes ‘devastating’ toll The virus has disproportionately impacted the North Philadelphia African-American community that depends on Einstein.
WHYY • April 10, 2020 Inequality made the perfect storm for a pandemic. North Philly fought back. Teachers, health care workers, grocery store operators, delivery drivers and many volunteers worked overtime to enable residents to stay at home.
WHYY • March 26, 2020 How Philly's neighborhoods can help us understand pandemics Good urban design remains a powerful tool for protecting residents from disease and other health threats.
WHYY • January 31, 2020 'Rotting from the inside:' Leading local developer accused of defective building More than 20 Streamline buyers report defects in their homes, most related to water infiltration.
WHYY • December 17, 2019 South Philly developer resists calls for less housing, more parking The proposed developer of 170 apartments in Passyunk Square says he expects his tenants just won’t have many cars.
PlanPhilly • December 4, 2019 As Hao Binh Plaza closes, many nearby Asian businesses thrive Are the evictions a sign of creeping gentrification in South Philadelphia, or a one-off development in a healthy business environment?
