Previous to the public meeting, five designers held a three-day design workshop to sketch out some initial ideas. Harris Steinberg, University of Pennsylvania architect, heads up the waterfront design team. The landscape architecture players are Peter Latz from Germany and Walter Hood, former University of California, Berkeley landscape architecture chairman. Also on board are Ken Greenberg, Toronto’s former director of urban design and architecture; Denise Scott Brown, Philadelphia architect, planner and urban designer; and Gary Hack, dean of Penn School of Design.

The biggest change to the waterfront could be Gary Hack?EUR??,,????'?????<

The southern stretch of the riverfront is heavily industrialized. Prof. Hood suggested incorporating more nature and more neighborhood access to the river. Bike and pedestrian trails and other recreational and public spaces are popular components for the central riverfront.

There is currently a spirited fight over development of two casinos for the Philadelphia waterfront. A poll by the Franklin & Marshall’s College Center for Opinion Research found that 47 percent of Philadelphians see more negative than positive to casinos.
Stay tuned.