Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Redesigning the Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Still referring to skyscraperpage.com for my material.  This time, I'm focusing on the happenings in Philly.  Apparently there is a push to transform a major prominent road in the heart of the city.  The Vine? Nope.  I-95? Keep guessing.  This road was designed with Paris' Champs Elysees in mind.  Still guessing?  It's the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.  This mile-long, 10-lane wide auto-centric hell takes automobile traffic from the Art Museum to Love Park and vise versa.

The latest installment of this transformation calls for a redesigning of Eakins Circle near the Art Museum.  Later this month, work will begin on a project that will transform this pedestrian unfriendly traffic circle into a sandy beach/amphitheater/boardwalk among other things.  It is an outside-the-box concept that will go a long way to transform the Parkway into something more pedestrian and bike-friendly.  Recently, the Rodin Museum was restored, and I believe part of the parkway was redesigned with a bike lane for cyclists.

To refer back to the Vine St. Expressway, capping here should strongly be considered.  How cool would it be for Philadelphia to have green space stretching from near Chinatown all the way to the Art Museum? That would make for a elongated park roughly a mile and a half long!

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