Center City Philadelphia
Philadelphia City Planning Commission, 1960
http://sceti.library.upenn.edu/pages/index.cfm?so_id=2601
The goal of the Planning Commission was to work toward creating a total system of open spaces that would give [Center City] unity and distinction (14), building upon the four prominent squares of open space. Specifically, it aimed to create open space around Independence Hall to provide a buffer between the business centers and Society Hills residential area, create green space by the Delaware Riverfront, green the space to the west of City Hall, and extend Fairmont Park southward to touch Center City.
Today, all of these goals have been met as planned (not taking into account the projects timelines). Independence Hall is surrounded by green space, especially to the area separating it from Society Hill. Walkways allow people to go directly from Society Hill to Independence Hall and back. The Delaware Riverfront is bustling with activity in its open areas. City Hall, with its famous Love Park, serves as a prominent landmark and gathering space for residents and tourists alike. And both Fairmont Parks physical space maintenance has been well conserved.
Not only have all of these goals been met, but additional open space has actually sprouted. Fairmont Park has extended even further than originally planned. Spots of green space dot Old City, Society Hill, and the areas westward of those. Schools and athletic facilities now lie across Center City, but especially to the northwest of Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Interestingly, northeast Center City increased in green areas, which I found strange because there must have been a large population of people already living there by the river, and it seems difficult to replace people with trees. Nothing much has deviated from this 1960 plan. All of the major works were accomplished, and the significant differences are small and spread throughout Center City, each on its own small scale.
The process of georeferencing a map was not too difficult with enough patience to match an uncooperative image with the streets.shp file. The georeferenced product looked good; the map was clear in conveying its message. However, it was difficult creating an image that would complement the Google Earth images well. It was tough adjusting the image by increasing the georeferenced files opacity to a level what would reveal both the 1960 and the current map; either the white background in the georeferenced image would block out the green space on the present-day map, or the shaded 1960 open space wouldnt be clear enough. I tried shading the gray areas orange in Photoshop, which made it slightly more visible. However, its still much easier to identify differences between the two maps by quickly clicking a layer on and off. (Id love to learn how to present these maps in a clearer fashion!) The second and more minor problem I encountered was that the buildings in Google Earth would cover the georeferenced file, which forced me to analyze everything more closely to determine whether a building popped up above a space that was originally planned to be open. Until I discovered the 3D Buildings layer on Google Earth an hour later, that is.
This georeferenced map could be used by the city to point out that not only has the government met their goals for open space, and not only has open space been preserved, but that open spaces have proliferated across Center City.
Duration : 0:0:17
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