The Welcoming District

The east stretch of Philadelphia's Market Street was a busy mercantile corridor serving the city for over a century before post-war population decline set in. By 1950, new visions for Center City shifted from serving the city's local residents to serving the broader region. New developments like Penn Center, The Gallery, the Convention Center and the reimagined Fashion District all looked to outside attendance and economic energy to power their financial models. As cities adjust to post-pandemic trends – like work-from-home and online shopping – there is an opportunity to rethink the meaning of “highest and best use” for Market East.

Philadelphia's population growth has slowed after a strong two decades, but a bright spot is the city's continued increase in immigrants. Research shows that new arrivals build powerful neighborhood networks and open businesses at higher rates than others, making positive use of the city’s existing infrastructure. What if we treated this as an urban development opportunity unto itself? What would an economic development strategy for Market East look like if its starting point was to empower and uplift the community that is already here in addition to supporting newly arriving immigrants?  What if housing and entrepreneurship support for new arrivals became a dedicated initiative for Philadelphia?

This exhibition and panel explores these questions through work put forth by graduate architecture students at the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design. The Fall 2023 Welcome to Philly! studio, led by Architect and Lecturer Brian Phillips, asked students to consider how the Fashion District could be retrofitted in whole or part as housing and entrepreneurship opportunities for new arrivals. With The Welcoming Center and the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation as partners, the studio sought to position a key block of Market East as a mixed-use space for gathering, business opportunity, and planting new roots – adding value for both existing residents and new arrivals alike. 

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Light refreshments will be served.

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