Yesterday, Inga Saffron, the architectural critic working for the Philadelphia Inquirer provided one of the most succinct and on point assessments of the maneuvering that is going on with the move to have a slot-only casino in Chinatown.
I hate to say it ... even as an architecture student and a lover of cities and a researcher into human behavior and the built environment ... I was not fully aware of what was occuring ith the casino plans. This fact is made all the worse because I actually live in Chinatown. For the past 6 months I have been lamenting the destruction of my neighborhoods' neighboring city fabric to make way for the expansion of Philadelphia's ugly and dirty convention center. Now, I have to come to grips with the fact that Chinatown, notably one of the safest areas of Philadelphia, might become just another dirty casino area. True, the gallery at Market East has never reached the fullness that was anticipated ... but to come in now and replace and/or add to the mess of the Gallery the social pariah that is a casino is simply detestable.
Inga comments mostly on the architecture of the change that is approved. I understand doing this because it appears to be accepted fact that the casino move is being fast-tracked through the corridors of our city government. However, I believe I am not alone in wishing that she had chosen to add more bite to her few criticisms of what such a casino will do to the fabric of Chinatown and of Market Street.
Many people I have spoken with, who call themselves "high-class" Philadelphia citizens, dislike the entire area that is Market Street along the Gallery. In many ways I must agree with them ... but for what I believe may be better reasons. The motley development of the area surrounding the Gallery and touching upon Chinatown is marked in many ways. From the Gallery, to the Bus Station, to the strip of shops that put out loud music ... the area directly around 11th and Market often comes across as a zoo and a piece of slum Philadelphia dropped off in the heart of the city.
I can't fully predict what will happen when the casino opens, as it inevitably will ... but I am sure that it will not be a good addition to this troubled piece of our fine city. I for one will speedily find another district of the city to call home.
Please ... take the time to read Inga's commentary at: http://changingskyline.blogspot.com/2008/11/caution-ahead-council-votes-on-foxwoods.html
Thursday, November 13, 2008
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2 comments:
Couldn't agree more.
-Nick
P.S. I'm adding your blog to the list of "favorite blogs" on the one I just started.
Nick...
thought you might like to see what I left on Inga's page... (there were some truly odd comments...mostly from one individual)
" I'll admit ... I don't follow any logic in some of the earlier statements posted here.
Still, I am curious why no one has commented on the interplay that might occur between the added casino and the current expansion of the convention center?
I am not a fan of the area of the city under discussion. I have lived by it for a year now and known it for longer. In many ways it reminds me of areas of New York City along 8th avenue south of Columbus Circle. Areas that experienced remarkable cleaning, reuse, and growth following the mid 80's.
I would gladly welcome such a revitalization of the area surrounding 11th and Market ...unfortunately I do not believe such will be the result of adding a casino.
I hold this opinion for a number of reasons: one reason, is that the history of the social elements surrounding American casinos (particularly slot only casinos) are known to be some of the worst in urban history, and second ...there is a commuter rail line that runs through and stops within the bounds of this district. This rail line has always been a matter of dispute with regards to the success of whatever use-type inhabits those buildings, whether it is a "ghetto" mall or a casino.
Those reasons aside, I believe the greater issue is the level of disarray and lifelessness that has plagued this district ever since the move of our city financial centers from south broad street to Market, west of city hall. Such a move effectively created a no man's land to the east of city hall extending as far as our old city and its historic district, which then and now effectively serves as an amusement park for thousands of tourists who want to "see" how our nations founders lived and to "see" where the roots of our nation's commitment to individual freedoms lay.
Ultimately, the casino will happen. And it should not be a matter for racial slights or affirmations. It should be addressed for what it is, a business move designed to bring money into our city and into our state. More than likely, Hotels will invest in the area ...and maybe, just maybe some wise introduction of a few mixed-use residential buildings will lead to a successful revitalization along the Market Street corridor from 12th to 9th Streets.
Before the city allows the casino to move ahead it should focus on creating a master plan they will commit to following and completing. In the troubled economic times that we find ourselves ...to recklessly invest in something as known for societal failure as a casino is simply an ill-advised move on the part of the city. Our officials and planners need to treat this district as a programmatic whole and move past the black and white of green bills."
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