Imagination vs. Reality

I wanted to share this article not only because it was a matter of local infrastructural importance, but because of the questions it raised for me. Questions about the imagined future versus the “real” future. I’ll be interested to see how the design for this new development compares to the imagined reality of what it was to be in the designers eyes. The sketches they have include pictures of wonderfully diverse people traversing the area and promises of incredible minority inclusion. This is another promise the city is making to marginalized people and I only hope they can keep their end of the bargain for once. Nevertheless, there’s still the question of this new economic development being hailed as a “solution” to the systems of inequality that will exist regardless of this development’s promises for the future. Lastly, I think it’s important to think about the relationship between design, marketing, and gentrification in instances like this — I’ll be following this for sure in the coming years.

Here’s the link to the article: https://www.phillyvoice.com/penns-landing-durst-organization-drwc-waterfront-philadelphia/

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