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Connect with Great Public Spaces

Principle 2: Connect the arena to the rest of the city with great public spaces that rival Reading Terminal Market, the Grand Court at Wanamaker’s, and the waiting room at 30th Street Station 

Imagine the ground floor of the arena as open, accessible, and vibrant...a great public space that stretches from Market to Filbert Streets and beyond: capturing the energy of the Reading Terminal Market featuring dynamic public art that encourages people to linger and connecting with Chinatown to the north. It will be critical to ensure that this civic space remains truly active and public on non-game days and not fall prey to the fate of other public buildings in Philadelphia whose enclosed “public” spaces produce a deadening effect. 

Figure 1: 30th Street Station

Figure 2: Wanamaker’s Grand Court

Figures 1-2: 30th Street Station and the Grand Court at the original Wanamaker’s Building are two prime examples of great indoor public spaces in Philadelphia that are memorable, inspiring, and architecturally significant. 

Photos by Jeffrey Zeldman and Geoff Livingston

How have we done this in Philadelphia?

Great public spaces can be symbolic, ceremonial, and social. They must encourage community, they must be comfortable and safe, and they must be remembered. Here in Philadelphia, we have many public spaces that possess this magic combination of factors. But there is always room for more defining spaces that can inspire and become a showcase for a city. Such defining public spaces do not just happen, they are consciously created. It is imperative that the developers of 76Place take this task seriously and conceive of a place that is befitting of both a world class city and a team as determined and committed as the Sixers.

Figure 3: Reading Terminal Market

Figure 4: Reading Terminal Market

Figure 5: Reading Terminal Market

Figure 6: Reading Terminal Market

Figures 3-6: Philadelphia's own Reading Terminal Market is often called a Philadelphia treasure and the heart and soul of the city. Home to many independent small businesses, the market serves as a place for people to eat, shop, and socialize. Truly successful public markets are anchors for entire districts and offer a variety of places to shop, stroll and be entertained. The Reading Terminal Market already serves these very functions and is an essential anchor for Market East. Why not extend its strength down Market Street and model the arena’s public spaces on an established and successful neighbor? Take the opportunity to provide much needed table/retail space for farmers, craftspeople and artisans and sprinkle the magic of Reading Terminal into the public spaces of 76Place and consciously create a place that is of Philadelphia.

Photos by wyliepoon, Eugene Kim, Wally Gobetz and Marc Smith

What to know

The current proposal misses the mark on creating an impactful public space that could enhance city connectivity and rival Philadelphia’s most iconic civic areas. By not prioritizing open, accessible, and vibrant spaces that engage visitors on and off event days, the current proposal misses the chance to create a truly civic-minded arena that connects, rather than isolates, the surrounding areas.

Tiny Outdoor Public Space: Outdoor areas provided by the project are miserly in scale, particularly when compared to other spaces in Philadelphia. For example, the primary proposed outdoor space at 10th and Market Streets is only 3,400 square feet in area—significantly smaller than Comcast Center Plaza (at over 20,000 square feet), Cherry Street Pier (around 50,000 square feet), and Dilworth Park (at over 100,000 square feet). This scale limits the potential for a true public gathering area and will make for an unsafe surge of fans exiting the arena on game days.

Uninspired Interior Public Space: The proposal falls short of delivering a welcoming and vibrant public space on par with Philadelphia’s civic landmarks. The main lobby, labeled a “community activation area,” in the proposed plans, does not appear to display the design elements and programming to serve as a dynamic public space beyond event days. Instead, the space would likely function only during events as a larger corridor herding attendees to their seats. Indeed, it reads more as an anonymous airport food court than a world-class place of distinction.

Disconnected from the Urban Grid: Without a robust commitment to public access and integrated urban design, the arena risks further disconnecting Filbert Street from Philadelphia’s Street grid, isolating the space rather than inviting the public. Moreover, the project does not establish a strong connection between Market and Arch Streets or Chinatown, missing the opportunity to create a unifying retail corridor and civic space that fosters community engagement, rather than shutting out neighborhood residents.

Figure 7: Cherry Street Pier

Figure 8: Cherry Street Pier

Figure 9: Cherry Street Pier

Figures 7-9: Like the Reading Terminal, the Cherry Street Pier offers up its own version of a public space that is authentically Philadelphia. The year-round, mixed-use space on the central Delaware River waterfront offers a collection of studio, garden, market, and dining spaces. Within the space, programming is driven by the arts community and creativity, vibrancy, and diversity are part of the overall essence of the place. Why not consider ways to bring this sense of soul to the public spaces making up the ground floor of the arena? Tap into Philadelphia’s creative communities and look to foster connections between the arts and sports. Look at our city’s public space success stories to inspire the next successful public space. 

Photos by Tim Rawle, Peter Miller and Laura Blandchard

Questions we should be asking

  • Can we replicate the success of the urban design at East Market on the Girard Estate site on the 1100 block of East Market Street by creating public spaces that are rich in retail and are beautiful civic spaces. Can we do this despite being enclosed within the arena footprint?

  • Can Market and Arch Streets be connected by a grand retail corridor that connects to Chinatown, creating a new, beloved civic space for residents and visitors alike?

  • How do we ensure these spaces are truly public and not at risk of being cordoned off due to a doom loop generated by lack of accessibility leading to lack of vibrancy?

  • Can a civic gateway to Chinatown be created on the open lot on Arch Street, providing space for a new green space and a potential market owned and programmed by Chinatown leaders?

  • Can you incorporate ways to make the gathering spaces inside and outside the building great civic rooms, even on off-days?

Best Practices

It is apparent that an opening exists to create impactful public spaces within the proposed arena footprint. The developers of 76Place need to look no further than Reading Terminal and the Chinatown neighborhood to find inspiration for successful and vibrant public spaces. By bringing the energy of Reading Terminal Market east to the arena cut-through (Filbert Street), the developers can create great civic gathering spaces that embraces essence of the Reading Terminal and the Chinatown neighborhood. Making these connections will also help to ensure that the development is more cohesive and more fully integrated into the existing urban fabric.