Application draws from a large database of Philly cultural events and business information to enable users to make social plans based on their location and mode of transportation

See related PlanPhilly coverage

View this press release as a PDF

 Philadelphia, PA, September 2, 2010 – Today, Azavea, an award-winning geospatial analysis (GIS) software development company, and the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia, announced the launch of the CommonSpace web application (http://commonspace.us). Borrowing from the urban planning concept of a “walkshed,” the area that is accessible to pedestrians within a given time period, CommonSpace, in a pilot program currently exclusive to Philadelphia which will run through mid-October, enables users to calculate their personal “transit-shed” and find local activities and events within that area, while encouraging walking, biking and public transit.  

The application enables users to enter their location, their mode of transportation, the time they are willing to travel, and preferred entertainment like restaurants, shows, cultural events or shopping.  Adding additional users at different starting locations, their modes of transportation and travel times prompts the application to automatically calculate the common space for all of the people in a given group.  The application generates an interactive map displaying what social activities are available in the users’ common space.  Users can then add destinations to a plan, which they can share with others via a hyperlink or generate a walking, biking or public transit route in Google Maps.

The platform is built on a combination of OpenStreetMap data and transit data from SEPTA, the Philadelphia regional transit agency, recently released in the General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) format. To calculate the “transit-sheds”, the system uses the open source GraphServer framework, which correlates routes and the time that a user is willing to travel.  Azavea also used an experimental, next-generation version of its DecisionTree technology, code-named Trellis, for distributing the geographic data processing across many servers.  Developed using Scala and leveraging the open source Akka framework, the new technology enables the web site to respond quickly and support large numbers of visitors.  Once a user selects a starting address and mode of transit, tens of thousands of possible routes are mapped behind-the-scenes using transit and street data.  Then the application renders the possible area that someone can reach in the amount of time they have chosen.  The results appear on-the-fly on a Google Maps base map.

As an increasing number of communities promote more healthy lifestyles and sustainable environments, web tools like CommonSpace demonstrate how geographic technologies can help people make the most of the amenities around them while also making better transportation decisions.  CommonSpace redefines what “local” means, and in the process can help all of us make our communities healthier, as well as more socially and environmentally responsible.

“While the application enables users to make social plans and have fun, we see CommonSpace as a new generation of applications that leverage publicly available geographic data in new ways to promote more accessible communities and help city dwellers discover local treasures that they might not otherwise have been aware of,” said Robert Cheetham, Azavea’s President and CEO.

The website is the result of a partnership with the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia, NPower Pennsylvania and the William Penn Foundation.  Data providers include the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe Festival; Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance’s Phillyfunguide.com; Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation’s Uwishunu.com; Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia; and Yelp.com.

“We are excited about CommonSpace because it will help shoppers find new local businesses in their own backyards and plan their trips in a more sustainable way,” said Leanne Krueger-Braneky, the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia’s Executive Director.

Azavea hopes to expand the application to more locations, add additional data that impacts walkability, and create a smart-phone version.  CommonSpace relies on data populators to make the site useful and relevant.  The project will continue to seek unique local attractions and venues to incorporate into the offerings, such as Philly Beer Week and neighborhood festivals, as well as solicit feedback and input from Philadelphians using the site to impact its future. 

Grasso Holdings’ proposal for a live music venue made some residents worry that old problems with nightclubs would return. Councilman DiCicco says he’ll work on a new zoning proposal that would make the project more palatable to those concerned.

Fishtown residents voted 57 to 38 against endorsing a live music venue proposed for 2055 Richmond Street.

Developer David Grasso, president of Grasso holdings, told the crowd gathered at First Presbyterian that Philly’s live music scene has shifted toward Delaware Avenue, and his proposed venue would capitalize on that. He promised there would be no DJ-only nights, and that concerts would almost all end by 11 p.m. Drinking would be confined to one area, he said. And all parking would be next door or on an adjacent site.

But while some attendees noted that Grasso’s latest plan responded to earlier expressed concerns from the surrounding  neighborhoods, most who addressed the Fishtown Neighbors Association Zoning Committee said they feared the place would bring back the same public inebriation and other problems they dealt with when nightclubs lined Delaware Avenue.

There is a zoning overlay in place that prevents night clubs from operating in the area. First District Councilman Frank DiCicco was instrumental in getting that piece of legislation passed. It is also DiCicco who early this summer proposed legislation that would exempt the Richmond Street property from the overlay.

“This is not a nightclub,” DiCicco told the crowd. Grasso said he thought of it more as a theater – and in fact, he hoped to host theatrical productions and musical theater numbers in addition to concerts from every genre and for every age group.

But several times when Grasso spoke of the project, he called it a club. And the audience called him on it.

Fishtown resident Nancy Martino was one of them. “What will make this project different from a nightclub?” she asked. Grasso said that “night club” means different things to different people. He asked Martino to specify what she was worried about.

DiCicco, who has also been a driving force behind the on-going Master Plan for the Central Delaware, said he thinks the club fits nicely into that vision for the waterfront. One resident wanted to know why, then, the proposal couldn’t wait until the Master Plan is finished early next year. He said it felt to him like the zoning change was being rushed through. DiCicco denied this, saying there is no way city council will even have a public hearing on the zoning proposal until October.

Another Fishtown resident, Julian Hinson, praised the project. “I think it’s a great thing,” Hinson said. “There is nothing going on in this part of the city. There is crime back there now.”

Letters will be sent to the Planning Commission and City Council reflecting the vote. But after the results were announced to the room, DiCicco said he wanted to work with Grasso to come up with an amended ordinance to include conditions that might make the proposal more amenable to more Fishtowners.

A clearly disappointed Grasso said he was open to that. Otherwise, he wasn’t sure what would happen next, he said, but he is not giving up on the project.

FULL STORY AND VIDEO TO COME.

This weekend, Bike Share Philadelphia is sponsoring public demonstrations

The bikes and solar powered kiosk station will be available to try out. It is the same bike-sharing equipment currently being used in the Denver, Colorado B-cycle system and in this summer’s Chicago, Illinois pilot program.

Bike sharing is the future of public transportation on two wheels, providing door-to-door mobility. By placing bicycles at stations throughout the urban area, people easily can use them to commute to work, to run errands, to socialize or just to enjoy a healthier life style.

Russell Meddin, founding member of Bike Share Philadelphia, says, “Philadelphia is the perfect city for bike sharing. The geography, the density of the population, a large student body, the need for mobility and the existing public transit infrastructure all make it the ideal choice for a bike-sharing system.”

According to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, who recently rode the bike-sharing system in Denver, said its B-cycle system is, “a model for America.”

Meddin says that “Bike sharing has been transformational in London, Paris, Washington, D.C., Denver, and Minneapolis. It’s time for Philadelphia to join these great cities.”

In Philadelphia, bicycles would be placed in secure stations throughout the city. To use these bikes, individuals would sign up online in advance, or at a station kiosk.  For a nominal access fee, either on a daily, weekly or yearly basis the bikes are available for the first 30 minutes of use at no extra charge. There would be a small fee for each additional ½ hour. The bikes could be returned to any station in the city, making it true point-to-point transportation. With stations located no more than about three blocks from each other, bike sharing gives new meaning to convenience.

Come join us for a ride!

Dates: 

Thursday, August 26th at 36th & Walnut Streets, 10 am to 6 pm, in front of the Penn Bookstore in University City in cooperation with the University of Pennsylvania. Event Page

Friday August 27th at Love Park (JFK Plaza) – 15th & JFK Blvd, 10 am to 6 pm, in cooperation with the Mayor’s Office of Transportation and Utilities. Event Page

Saturday, August 28th at Penn’s Landing on the Walnut Plaza, 10 am to 6 pm, in cooperation with the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation. Event Page

Bike Share Press Release

Federal money would help pay for the installation of the system on buses, trolleys, trackless trolleys and the Norristown High Speed Line.

SEPTA submitted an application Monday to try to get federal stimulus money to help pay for part of the new smart card system.

As previously reported (http://planphilly.com/septa-4), SEPTA is seeking $29.3 million from the TIGER II program that would help pay for the installation of the system on buses, trolleys, trackless trolleys and the Norristown High Speed Line.

Local funds would cover the rest of the $77.3 million project, which would also pay for building the system architecture that would support a smart card system.

SEPTA spokesman Andrew Busch said the exact way SEPTA would come up with the matching funds hasn’t been determined yet and said that might be determined through the process of awarding a contract.

The authority has expressed an interest in creative financing to pay for the smart card project and has asked potential bidders to explore that option.

Of the TIGER money, $16 million would also pay for on-board equipment on buses, upgrades to subway turnstiles and for the purchase of on-board fare validators for regional rail.

The application projects SEPTA would save $17.2 million in operating and maintenance costs by rolling out smart cards along those modes of transit and would save area car owners $23.6 million in ownership, gas and maintenance costs.

If the federal government accepts the proposal, SEPTA plans on issuing a notice to proceed on installing this part of the system on Dec. 9, with the system going fully operational March 1, 2013.

Busch said that other modes of transit would be added to the system as funding for them is secured.

TIGER is “the key to getting us moving with this” project given the current funding crunch, he added.

Though SEPTA is in for some tough competition in winning a piece of the $700 million TIGER pie, its application has garnered strong support from elected officials and transit stakeholders.

SEPTA submitted letters of support from groups including the city, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, PenTrans, the Clean Air Council and members of the region’s congressional delegation.

Contact the reporter at acampisi@planphilly,com

The Race Street Pier project, and its counterpart on the uplands portion of Pier 53 in South Philadelphia, are considered important early action items in the hoped-for long-term redevelopment of the Central Delaware River waterfront.

With bids to do the construction work for the Race Street Pier project due Sept. 1, the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation expects to select a contractor in the coming weeks.

Construction on the pier at the end of Race Street – formerly called Pier 11 – is expected to begin by the end of September.

The Race Street Pier project, and its counterpart on the uplands portion of Pier 53 in South Philadelphia, are considered important early action items in the hoped for long-term redevelopment of the Central Delaware River waterfront. Work is underway on a Master Plan that will build on these projects, a multi-use trail that has partially opened, and other efforts on public land and call for zoning changes and other measures to encourage development all along the stretch between Oregon and Allegheny Avenues.

The Pier 53 uplands project is expected to be finished sometime in September. Race Street Pier is expect to open as a new public park this spring.

A public meeting on different master plan options is set for mid-October, with the unveiling of the final plan expected early next year.

Read the bid documents on the DRWC website.

Posted by Kellie Patrick Gates

Fishtown Neighbors Association will hold a community meeting at First Presbyterian Church, 418 E. Girard Ave.,  at 7 p.m., Aug. 31

Fishtown residents and business owners will next week have their say on whether a live music/entertainment venue proposed for Richmond Street that could hold between 2,500 and 3,500 people and have a 650-car parking lot should come to the neighborhood.

The Fishtown Neighbors Association will hold a community meeting at First Presbyterian Church, 418 E. Girard Ave.,  at 7 p.m. Tuesday. What residents will actually be voting on is whether or not they support an ordinance proposed by First District Councilman Frank DiCicco that would grant a zoning change needed to build the venue at 2055 Richmond Street.  A representative from DiCicco’s office and the developer, David Grasso of Grasso holdings, will attend the meeting.

All are welcome to attend the meeting, but to be eligible to vote, bring a driver’s license or photo ID and a lease, utility bill or recent piece of mail addressed to your home or business in Fishtown.

The results of the vote will be forwarded to City Council, which cannot act on the legislation until they are back in session next month.

-Posted by Kellie Patrick Gates.

Submit development proposals for recognition to the Delaware Valley Smart Growth Alliance, a partner of ULI Philadelphia. Recognized projects receive a letter of support to local municipal leaders, publicity and more.

The Delaware Valley Smart Growth Alliance (DVSGA) is an initiative of more than 200 government, private sector and non-profit organizations in the Greater Philadelphia tri-state region encompassing Southeastern Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey, and Delaware.

The smart growth movement is driven by a growing concern that current development patterns are no longer in the best long-term interest of our communities. Combined with demographic shifts, a strong environmental ethic, increased fiscal concerns, and a different view of growth versus sprawl, the result is both a new demand and a new opportunity. While smart growth definitions may differ, they all generally focus on restoring community and vitality, are more town-centered, offer public transit and pedestrian options, feature a greater mix of housing, commercial and retail uses, and preserve open space and other environmental amenities.

The DVSGA facilitates smart growth by recognizing proposed projects — development plans, municipal plans and conservation projects — at the earliest stages and helping them get approved at the local level. Applicants with projects in the entitlement stage are encouraged to apply. All applications are treated confidentially. Projects are reviewed on a quarterly basis by an independent, regionally diverse jury. Each project that is recognized – in compliance with the DVSGA’s smart growth criteria receives a letter of endorsement and an offer of testimony before local approval authorities. The process is confidential — if a project seeks recognition and is not recognized, it is not disclosed.

Projects that receive DVSGA recognition are those which foster regional growth and redevelopment in a manner that achieves important economic, environmental and quality of life objectives. By highlighting the potential of smart growth projects to add value to the region, the DVSGA hopes to encourage developers, business organizations, citizen groups and elected officials to strive for smart growth solutions.

To apply for project recognition, one must fit the submittal requirements and criteria.

The deadline for submissions is September 1.

Click here for previously recognized projects.

The Ogontz Avenue Revitalization Corp. (OARC) has partnered with Vital Neighborhoods and the Philadelphia School District to convert an asphalt portion of a Northwest Philadelphia school yard into a “rain garden” to help combat stormwater runoff, a major contributor to pollution in local water systems.

The rain garden, which covers portions of the playground at the John F. McCloskey Elementary School and the Dorothy Emanuel Recreation Center in Mount Airy, will measure 50 feet by 100 feet and use native plants and other landscaping to soak up rain water and stormwater runoff from lawns, roofs and other impervious surfaces such as streets, driveways or parking lots. Such runoff often carries pesticides, fertilizers and oil into storm drains, which feeds the pollutants into streams, lakes and rivers. It is the biggest cause of toxic waste in waterways that serve as sources for drinking water.

John Ungar, OARC’s Senior Director of Sustainability and Education, said the project expands the “greening” focus of OARC’s five-pillar model of community development. The other pillars are: housing and economic development, education and community relations, business development and arts and culture. Other greening projects include energy conservation awareness, recycling rewards programs and solar-powered trash compactors for streets. In addition, the rain garden will be incorporated into the curriculum at the McCloskey School, located at Pickering and Gowen Streets.

WHO:         John Ungar Senior Director of Sustainability and Education

Karen Anderson, Executive Director of Awbury Arboretum

Amy E. McCollum, Vital Neighborhoods project interim director

Crystal Jacobs, Communications & Special Events Director for Philadelphia

Councilwoman Marian Tasco

WHAT:       Final plantings/landscaping for “rain garden” pilot project in Northwest

WHEN:      Thursday, August 19, 2010 at 11 AM

WHERE:    John F. McCloskey Elementary School, 8500 Pickering Street (corner of Pickering and Gowen) Philadelphia PA

Gaming concern in Fishtown on Delaware River expected to open in September.

The big-box style casino plans to open with more than 1,500 slots and 42 table games on a 45,000 square-foot gaming floor. SugarHouse plans to hire about 800 people to gear up for its opening, set for September.

Both construction and hiring are winding down.

“We are finishing up the interiors, and doing outdoor landscaping, curb cuts and sidewalks,” said spokeswoman Leigh Whitaker.

As for hiring, “we are probably 90 percent of the way there,” Whitaker said. “We are getting close to starting all-hands-on-deck employee training,” some of which will happen in the casino building, some off site.

The casino is filling positions related to administration, facilities, finance and accounting, food and culinary service, beverage and bar service, marketing and player services, security, slot operations, surveillance, table games and valet services. Those interested in working at SugarHouse can complete an online application at www.sugarhousecasino.com. The best applicants will be contacted for interviews. 

Check out the webcam

This premier real estate industry event takes place in Washington DC from October 12, 2010 to October 15, 2010.

ULI’s Fall Meeting is the premier real estate industry event–the place where top decision makers meet to share strategies and solutions for dealing with today’s issues, and hear about the trends and opportunities that will give them a competitive edge in the future. More than 6,000 leaders from every sector of the industry come together for lively discussions, and to build relationships with prospective clients, business partners, and employers. Join your peers in Washington, D.C. October 12–15, 2010 for the 2010 ULI Fall Meeting and Urban Land Expo, and check this site for additional program and speaker information in the coming months.

Event Schedule:

Tuesday October 12

All Day

Committee Meetings

Mobile Workshops

Special Interest Tours

Council Dinners

Wednesday October 13

8 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Council Meetings

Market Trends

(9 a.m. – 4 p.m.)

ULI Real Estate Academy

(9 a.m. – 4 p.m.)

Opening General Session

(4:30 – 6 p.m.)

Cocktail Reception

(6 – 7:30 p.m.)

Trustees Dinner

(Invitation only)

Mobile Workshops

Special Interest Tours

Thursday October 14

8 a.m. – 6 p.m.

ULI/Stan Ross Real Estate Trends Conference

General Sessions

Concurrent Programming

Special Interest Tours

Young Leader Reception

Friday October 15

8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

General Sessions

Concurrent Programming

Mobile Workshops

(8 a.m. – 5 p.m.)

Special Interest Tours 

To register click here.

For the list of attendees, click here.

For the event’s website and informational updates click here.

Contact info:
Email Customer Service at fallreg@uli.org
Or call 800-321-5011 or at +410-626-7500 if calling from outside the United States