Contribute to Economic Vibrancy

Principle 5: Contribute to economic vibrancy and the life of Market Street and adjacent neighborhoods.

Now is the time to ensure the arena is designed to serve as a civic gateway to Chinatown, and not turn its back on that great neighborhood asset. Could the design create a new gateway through an open mid-block lot on Arch Street? Could this area provide new green space and a potential market space owned and programmed by community leaders? City leaders can ensure that nearby parcels targeted for redevelopment creates a mature 24-hour community that supports public life so that the arena is not an island of intermittent activity. Included with this must be developing a vision for Market East that places the arena in the context of a vibrant city street connecting seamlessly with the historic district and the vitality along the Central Delaware riverfront.

How have other cities done this?

This principle encourages us to think about how 76Place could best fit into Market Street to make this new development a great place to be both during games/events and on off-days. In 2023, the Center City District evaluated a future Market Street with an arena. The analysis gave a great deal of thought to the various elements - that when considered as a whole - have the potential to transform Market Street into a much more animated and vibrant corridor. These elements include diversifying business uses, enhancing access, and connecting neighboring communities and other essential landmarks (Independence Hall, Old City, the waterfront). The arena development has the potential to serve as catalytic project and could initiate the creation of Market Street as 24-hour community that supports an exciting public life but only if the massive structure can be integrated with the local block, can incorporate active uses, can offer a design that is at scale with the surroundings, and can promise a pedestrian-friendly streetscape environment. These design components are so attainable! In fact, other cities have recognized that fully integrating connectivity, streetscape enhancements, and active uses into an arena development is the key to developing a district that is vibrant, safe, and an inviting destination 24/7.

Figure 1: Little Caesars Arena

Figure 2: Little Caesars Arena

Figure 3: Little Caesars Arena

Figures 1-3: Little Caesars Arena, the home of the Detroit Red Wings and Pistons serves as the centerpiece of The District Detroit project. The District spans multiple blocks as part of a broader plan to bridge downtown and midtown Detroit. The project prioritizes integrating the arena into a larger mixed-use, walkable neighborhood and includes plans for housing (including affordable units), green spaces, plazas, dining, retail, and commercial spaces. Initial progress has been slow, due to the continued economic challenges. However, the District Detroit illustrates the need to pair arenas with mixed-use development to promote and encourage year-round activity revitalization.

Photos by Bluediamond616, Adam Bishop and Coreyfein01

What to know

Missed Opportunity for a Civic Gateway: The current design does not offer a space that could function as a community-oriented gateway between Chinatown and Market Street. The open lot on Arch Street is not part of the project, and it is unclear if the development team considered purchasing this parcel. This oversight misses a valuable opportunity to engage with the Chinatown community. The lot could have served as a welcoming public green space and civic space that celebrates Chinatown’s cultural significance and provides meaningful community access.

Intermittent Activity Instead of Continuous Engagement: The design appears geared toward game-day use rather than fostering a vibrant public space. Without limited street-facing retail that could support local business, and public spaces that serve primarily for event circulation, the arena may limit its economic contributions beyond event days, creating periods of inactivity and leaving gaps in Market Street’s vitality.

A Limited Vision for Market East: The design does not appear to align with a larger vision for Market East that would position the arena as a seamless extension of Philadelphia’s historic and cultural hubs. This disconnection risks creating a self-contained “island” rather than a dynamic part of a more interconnected urban fabric.

Limited Chinatown Engagement and Impacts on Local Business Visibility: The design overlooks the potential for creating supportive retail and community spaces that reflect Chinatown’s identity, which could drive foot traffic, bolster local businesses, and reinforce the neighborhood’s cultural heritage. The Arena could detract from the visibility of nearby local businesses, particularly those in Chinatown, by overwhelming the streetscape with arena-focused signage and business, rather than amplifying the neighborhood’s economic and cultural contributions.

Figure 4: Rogers Place and the Ice District under construction

Figure 5: Rogers Place and the Ice District

Figure 6: Rogers Place Arena

Figure 7: Rogers Place Arena

Figures 4-7: Edmonton’s Ice District anchors the Roger’s Place arena, home of the Oilers. The Ice District is a 25-acre mixed-use neighborhood, arranged around a central plaza. It features residential towers, retail spaces, office buildings, hotels, and entertainment venues. The coordinated project revitalized a section of downtown Edmonton by focusing on a high-quality pedestrian and transit-friendly design that attracts residents, workers, and visitors. By pairing the arena with complementary amenities, the Ice District sustains year-round activity and draws traffic to adjacent businesses.

Photos by jasonwoodhead23, TagaSanPedroAko, D. Benjamin Miller and IQRemix

Questions we should be asking

Can city leaders ensure that the nearby parcels targeted for redevelopment create a 24-hour community that increases street life so that the arena is just another activity and not just an isolated and intermittent node of activity?
Could a portion of the site towards Chinatown be offered as a “community driven” development site where the program and goals could be driven by a local community organization?
Can the adjacent Fashion District block to the east be designed to complement the arena activity as pre- and post-game surge space?

Best Practices

The Center City District has made well documented statements outlining the tremendous untapped potential for Marker Street to become an animated, mixed-use, high-density corridor from Independence Mall to City Hall. The organization indicates that the trick to tapping the potential of Market Street is an uncomplicated equation: Enhance existing assets like transit infrastructure + Preserve historic buildings + Accelerate retail, residential and hospitality development.

The arrival of an arena potentially represents the third piece of this equation. But 76Place does not demonstrate a commitment to the other essential pieces of the equation. Thus, we can legitimately raise the question... will this development actually serve as the catalyst its proponents need it/believe it to be? Maybe not in its current iteration....

But other cities are showing us a way forward. Places like San Francisco and Detroit have committed to developing arenas that are not draining the essence of the community. Rather, by placing an emphasis on the importance of connectivity and access and developing a site that contributes to pedestrian life, the arenas are serving as good neighbors and fulfilling their potential as catalytic projects that are transforming entire communities.