‘Make no small plans’ | An Arena for All

Great planning grows from a thoughtful and respectful conversation between a people and their elected representatives. It understands the city as a series of social, environmental, and economic systems anchored by landmarks with nodes of activity designed to encourage a vibrant public life. A place that seamlessly connects to its environs. This means understanding the impact of design proposals on the surrounding context. It is a process in which professionals, residents, and public officials together shape a project’s design.

This dictum holds for a site such as 76 Place, an 18,000-seat NBA arena proposed by the Sixers at 10th and Market Streets in place of a portion of the recently rebranded Fashion District. It is a site of great significance on what is arguably Philadelphia’s Main Street, sitting atop a rich vein of public transportation with Jefferson Station nested below.

Indeed, City Council is currently deliberating enabling legislation that would allow the Sixers to build the project they publicly unveiled in summer 2022. Council intends to vote on the legislation in December, so time is of the essence for a civic conversation about the design of the arena and its impact on the surrounding city.

To jump-start the process, Drexel University’s Lindy Institute Civic Design Studio, in collaboration with The Inquirer, recently put forth urban design principles to inform the public’s review of the arena proposal with the goal of making the arena a great civic asset. Today, we offer more in-depth research, case studies, and analysis related to those urban design principles. Because the legislative process is on a fast track, our goal is to provide the public with tools to better understand the potential urban design impact of the arena on economic development, transportation, sense of place, and quality of life.

For each principle, we offer examples of cities that have successfully implemented large-scale civic buildings (transit stations, arenas, convention centers) in urban areas. We will also provide information and visuals that explain the impact of the proposed arena. Lastly, we will use the details from each principle to ask what we feel are the important questions for our public officials, local leaders, and the developers.

Harris M. Steinberg, a fellow of the American Institute of Architects, is the executive director of the Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation at Drexel University. Please visit the Lindy Institute Civic Design Studio website for more analysis and images.