Philly's Couch Problem

Local design costs less to maintain.

by Bruce Schimmel

No matter how many throw rugs and designer tchotchkes you buy, if you have a ratty couch, your living room will always look like a dump.

The same for holds true for Philly and its bus shelters. A transit shelter tagged with graffiti and bristling with ads will overshadow any other street amenity and be a magnet for crime. But that's the current state of most of the city's 250-some transit shelters, which are showing both their age and much contempt.

As I wrote last week, the city plans to replace the old shelters and a whole lot of new ones. In late October, four big street furniture companies were invited to the Academy of Natural Sciences to present their wares. (Presentations are available here.) The 70 people who showed up suggested better lighting, good maps, real-time arrival announcements, even bike racks — all a good start. But we have to hear from more to get this right.

The redesign of the bus shelters represents a rare opportunity for local artists, architects, community organizers and ordinary citizens to make a significant difference in our street life.

We need a Streetscape Charrette, a community design initiative — just as we've done for the Delaware Waterfront, the South Street Bridge and neighborhood corridors. The city should accept the out-of-town companies' offer to work with Philadelphians.

Last week, I spoke with folks at PennPraxis, the Community Design Collaborative, as well as officials at the very pinnacle of power in City Hall. All quietly concurred that a public Streetscape Charrette would be great. In addition, a local university and a local weekly paper (I'll bet you can guess which) is very interested in sponsorship.

So all the city needs is a little push to put the mayor's commitment to a local creative economy into practice. Deputy Mayor Rina Cutler should reach out further, to hear how we can create a uniquely Philadelphia streetscape.

One glance at samples from CBS Outdoor, Clear Channel, Cemusa and JCDecaux shows just how un-Philadelphian their visions are. There's not a low-rise neighborhood pictured in the lot.

A Streetscape Charrette is needed for many reasons.

The first is pride. Our streets should showcase local design. Do you want tourists to see stuff designed in Barcelona or that's identical to shelters in New York? Feh.

The second is practical. Local design costs less to maintain. As the Mural Arts folks have demonstrated for more than 25 years, when local artists and communities get involved, local vandals stand down. And since the city hopes to put more shelters in grittier neighborhoods, it's best to get neighborhood cooperation.

The final reason to keep it local is financial. Advertising pays for the shelters' construction and maintenance, and currently nets the city about a half-million yearly. With lower maintenance costs, more of that money could flow back into city coffers.

Cutler is rightfully concerned that the cost of the street shelters shouldn't cut into the city's profits. She wants to strike the right balance between revenues and "amenities."

To that, let me suggest that staying true to a community's identity isn't an amenity, it's a necessity. Local public infrastructure must come from local public impulses. Give people a real say, Ms. Cutler, and they'll show you what will swell our pride and fatten the bottom line.

More at citypaper.net/canon and schimmel.com.