A downtown arena for the Sixers can be a Philly thing, too

My colleague Helen Ubiñas coined the phrase “Philly shrug” to describe the city’s “whaddya-gonna-do” attitude toward so many endemic problems. Corrupt politicians, bad schools, worse crime? Chicago may be the City of Broad Shoulders, but it’s Philadelphia’s that seem to get a constant workout.

That pessimistic indifference has a partner in crime: the “it could never work here.”

After all, the shrug doesn’t work alone. The crippling cynicism so many Philadelphians have about the state of our city isn’t irrational. It is based on decades of experience. Despite the octennial promises from every newly elected mayor to clean the streets, keep residents safe, create local jobs, and fix our schools, we see the same depressing headlines, year after year.

Why can’t we make progress? In part because we aren’t willing to embrace change. That’s where “it could never work here” comes in. It paints positive change as something that happens in other cities. In Philadelphia, apparently, things can only get worse.

The most recent outpouring of this sentiment has been over the proposal from the Sixers ownership to build a new arena in Center City.

» READ MORE: In the Sixers arena plan, hopes for a revitalized Market East — and concerns about poor urban design | Opinion

It is no surprise that the Sixers, a team with a fan base that trends toward younger and city-dwelling supporters, would want to join so many of their competitors. Unlike NFL or baseball stadiums, downtown arenas are standard operating procedure in basketball. Every single one of the Sixers’ fellow Eastern Conference franchises has their own arena downtown. The Sixers have even pledged to build their $1.3 billion project without asking Philadelphia taxpayers to contribute. That’s refreshing, considering the city is still paying off bonds for Lincoln Financial Field and Citizens Bank Park.

For many Philadelphians, however, the proposal seems to border on sacrilege. The traffic will be miserable! What about parking? What about my favorite stores in the Fashion District? SEPTA won’t be able to handle the volume!

Friends. Fellow Philadelphians. Let’s look at the facts.

Traffic and parking? Even in a slow month, Center City hosts hundreds of thousands of people every day. The Philadelphia Flower Show alone attracts 250,000 over nine days to the nearby Convention Center. The city can easily handle 18,000 fans, especially after work hours. If smaller, more car-dependent cities such as Memphis, Tenn., can handle a downtown arena, so can we.

The Fashion District? Few are happier about this project than its owners. Paul Levy, who tracks nearly every statistic in town as a part of Center City District’s public policy research, estimated that the mall has a roughly 40% vacancy rate. Shrinking its footprint by a third would leave vacancy numbers at the Fashion District more in line with national averages. Levy said that storefronts along the Market East corridor are struggling with some of the same public safety issues that have hurt Chinatown. If the project is done right, it could help revive a key commercial corridor that has been decimated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

As for SEPTA, there are few places that are better situated for public transit access. The proposed arena sits on top of all 13 Regional Rail lines and the Market-Frankford Line. It is a short walk away from the Broad Street Line, West Philadelphia trolleys, and PATCO. Two million people live within a short walk of a one-seat ride to the arena.

» READ MORE: I was born and raised in Philly’s Chinatown. I don’t want a Sixers stadium here. | Opinion

If anything, other cities would be envious of the public infrastructure available at the proposed location. Unlike in Philadelphia, where all inbound trains would lead to the Sixers’ proposed arena, many Celtics fans lack access to a one-seat ride to the TD Garden. Other NBA cities lack significant rail infrastructure at all, let alone Philadelphia’s extensive “through-running” Regional Rail that unites the city’s biggest rail stations, and covers the entire metropolitan area.

Beyond the world-class rail access, the arena would also be located close to major highways, parking lots and garages, incredible dining and nightlife, and the third-largest residential downtown in the country.

Of course, that doesn’t mean none of the complaints are fair. The burden of traffic and parking is bound to fall disproportionately on Chinatown, a neighborhood tucked between the proposed arena and I-676, the city’s only crosstown highway. These problems deserve to be considered and discussed (which I will do in an upcoming op-ed), but I believe they can be overcome if the Sixers are willing to listen and make the right compromises.

Philadelphians shouldn’t give in to our negative nature on this issue. As the Eagles and Phillies have shown us, we are a city of champions now. A downtown basketball arena can absolutely work here if we let it. The Sixers’ proposal deserves a fair shake.