Planning Commission accepting final round of comments for comprehensive plan

Anyone interested in offering a final round of feedback to the Planning Commission about broadband infrastructure’s inclusion in the Philadelphia 2035 comprehensive plan should join the Commission this Thursday afternoon.

On April 14, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., staffers will take input on the “Connect” section of the plan … All meetings will be in the Planning Commission meeting room at 1515 Arch St., on the 18th floor.

[via PlanPhilly: Neighborhood groups want more input in 2035 comprehensive plan]

And don’t forget, the Planning Commission will be discussing innovation at our Philly Tech Week headquarters at WHYY on Wednesday, April 27. More information and free reservation available here.

Planning Commission sees opportunity in short-term broadband goals for comprehensive plan

Illustration based on Philadelphia: Metropolis in Transition's archive

Philadelphia’s 1960 comprehensive plan was an effort to usher the city’s infrastructure into the future.

Back then, the plan called for build-out that Philadelphians today utilize daily, like the creation of a new tunnel for commuter rail that would cut through Center City to meet peak-hour demands and an expressway that would help connect the city to the suburbs.

For the first time since that plan was drafted more than 60 years ago, the city planning commission is undertaking a new long-term vision for the city’s built environment.

The Philadelphia 2035 Comprehensive Plan will eventually modify zoning around commercial corridors and industrial centers, and lay out new infrastructure and transit lines says Alan Urek, Director of Strategic Planning and Policy at the Philadelphia City Planning Commission. And the commission hopes it will result in improving the city’s economy, health and environmental impact.

On the ground, the plan looks at ways to improve center city’s stature as a metropolitan center, and increase investment in the city’s neighborhoods and former industrial zones. Specific projects include transit on Roosevelt Boulevard connecting the Far Northeast to the Broad Street Line, transit-oriented development at SEPTA’s North Philadelphia station, near Temple University, and greening of city schoolyards for use as neighborhood parks.

Broadband advocates argue that creation of new fiber networks have become just as important as other forms of infrastructure, like the water system and public utilities that traverse the earth beneath the city. And recent broadband stimulus projects awarded to Philadelphia support the role that government can play in funding long-term broadband projects.

But in Philadelphia’s new comprehensive plan [PDF], there’s little direction on how the city can increase high-speed connectivity, improve adoption, and ultimately, help bridge the digital divide.

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Philadelphia 2035: city-wide comprehensive plan website launches

City planners released yesterday, as PlanPhilly reported, the draft of Philadelphia’s first city-wide comprehensive plan since 1960.

In an email from Planning Commission Alan Urek:

[Yesterday], the new Philadelphia2035: The Comprehensive Plan web site has officially launched. The web site is an excellent resource for planners, businesses, engaged residents, City officials, media and bloggers, NGOs and all nonprofits interested in being part of the future of Philadelphia.

[Find] the most up-to-date information on the Philadelphia2035 plan and the June event that introduces the final plan. Your readers may be interested to know the City’s Planning Commission has made the plan available on the site, and is actively seeking feedback on the DRAFT plan.

The site features both the Citywide Plan and the more specific District Plans. Comments on the draft will be accepted through the “Get Involved” page until March 31st. There is ample time before the final plan is released in early June; the public is encouraged to learn as much as possible now so they can contribute to the new Citywide Plan.

[phila2035.org]