Transit Visioning Plan for the Philadelphia Region

Client:  Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission

Commissioned by the DVRPC under the leadership of James Kise, 15 students were charged with envisioning a route to increased regional mobility for Greater Philadelphia by 2050.  Generous support from the William Penn Foundation enabled the Studio to travel and consider best practices in land use and transit both domestically-in Montgomery County, MD and Washington, DC- and internationally - in London, England and Toronto, Ontario.

Given liberty to think without restraint, the team moved beyond improving mobility to shaping a vision of true choice for Greater Philadelhhia in 2050.  Inspired by best practices and guided by regional needs, this Studio envisions the Philadelphia Region as a healty and vibrant place, alive with economic opportunity that attracts new jobs and new residents into central cities and key suburban locales.

The Studio defined three strategic goals:

1.  Enhance people's Quality of Life by providing increased access and mobility within already densely developed areas, protecting green space and farmland in outlying areas, creating walkable communities near transit and revitalizing existing communityes.

2.  Transform Philadelphia into a Region of Choice by emphasizing growth of healthy, economically compettite region where thousands choose to stay and work.

3.  Define and Ecological and Economic Legacy that will shape habits, values and polices to ensure future prosperity and sustainability.

The most excitiing and innovative idea is the R0 Cirlce Line, a high capacity, frequent interval, light rail ine that would directly connect employment centers and downtowns of the region.