Regionalism : In The News

Sheetz and Wawa go head-to-head in the New York Times

The New York Times Tuesday, February 12, 2013

The New York Times tackles the eternal rivalry between Sheetz and Wawa convenience store partisans. Sheetz might have a stronger state-wide prescence in Pennsylvania, by Philly folks know the real deal. Wawa 4 life!

"I think that Sheetz people are probably a little perkier than the Wawa people," said a regular named Doug, who was making his second visit of the day to the Sheetz in Selinsgrove. "It might have to do with we’re up here where people are just a lot friendlier than they are down there."

"Down there" is Philadelphia and the Lehigh Valley, where Wawa fans can exude a whiff of cosmopolitan disdain. The crowd-sourced Urban Dictionary includes unflattering definitions for "Sheetz," like "a convenience store/gas station where hicks from Lititz, Pa., like to hang out all night, every night."

Original source: The New York Times
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Seattle ponders City of Philadelphia seed fund Startup PHIL

GeekWire Monday, October 29, 2012

Seattle's GeekWire considers how the recently announced City of Philadelphia seed fund Startup PHL would play in Washington State.

The jury is out whether these types of programs should fall under government agencies. Interestingly, the topic has become a key talking point in the race for governor in Washington state. Candidate Rob McKenna has continued to hammer Jay Inslee over an idea, which he has since dropped, to pump state pension money into startups.

Original source: GeekWire

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New Urban Mechanics: Nutter's new office aims to accelerate innovation

TechPresident Thursday, October 04, 2012

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter announced this week the Office of New Urban Mechanics, a new branch of city government he hopes will accelerate the implementation of innovative ideas.

It's also the context in which Story Bellows, the Philadelphia New Urban Mechanics co-chair, told Sarah Lai Stirland that Philadelphia's City Hall plans to use its "convening power" to solve problems. Rather than trying to hire a swarm of developers to implement an internal plan or pay a McKinsey or a KPMG hundreds of thousands of dollars to write a report, the New Urban Mechanics model would be to work within a city's own network to find solutions, try them out, and evaluate whether or not they were successful.

Original source: TechPresident

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Nutter: Hospitality holds keys to city's challenges, assets

Huffington Post Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Mayor Michael Nutter writes in Huffington Post about the Philadelphia hospitality sector's ability to transform the city.

And so while tourism attracts new people to our city, it is a major source of jobs for the Philadelphians who live here. Construction jobs each time a new hotel or museum is built; executives, managers, customer service staff and maintenance employees operating each new hotel; skilled tradesmen and women setting up and taking down every convention stage and showroom; concierges, tour guides and marketing professionals hired as new attractions come online; chefs, servers and bartenders hired when restaurants open their doors to new customers.

Some 56,000 Philadelphians are employed in the hospitality industry, and so a major priority of our city is to keep that machine running smoothly.

Original source: Huffington Post
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Going global: Philly ranks 71st in the urban revolution, circa 2025

Foreign Policy magazine Monday, August 20, 2012

You've been reading in Flying Kite for some time about the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia-led World Class Greater Philadelphia initiative, which aims to establish our region as a world-class city by 2026. The folks at Foreign Policy magazine have created a list of the most dynamic cities of 2025 that represent the coming urban revolution, and Philadelphia ranks 71st behind the likes of Atlanta, San Diego and Ankara, Turkey.

Developed using McKinsey Global Institute's Cityscope database of 2,600 cities, the index represents one possible scenario of the urban world's evolution. Cities refer to integrated metropolitan areas, aggregating neighboring cities into a single urban center where appropriate. Estimates are based on underlying demographic and GDP per capita growth projections, and subject to significant uncertainty in evolution of everything from population and migration patterns to per capita GDP growth and exchange rate outlook.

Original source: Foreign Policy magazine

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Philadelphia leaders take to Toronto to share and 'steal'

Yonge Street Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Greater Philadelphia Economy League Executive Director Steve Wray talkes to Flying Kite sister publication Yonge Street about his organization's Greater Philadelphia Leadership Exchange, which visits Toronto this week.

One the focuses of the Economy League is what it means to be a world-class region and what it would take for Greater Philadelphia to attain status as a world-class region. As we select places to go, we look for regions that are world class or striving to be world class. Clearly Toronto has attained the status in the global community as a city and region on the rise, as a global financial capital and as an international city. We thought there were a lot of lessons we could bring back to Philadelphia from Toronto that would serve us well.

Original source: Yonge Street

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Philly, a tech scene where you'd never think to look

Fast Company Friday, June 15, 2012

Fast Company cites Philadelphia among 15 tech scenes in places you'd never think to look (although it's really not that unlikely, is it?).

What's changing? Resources, such as coworking spaces, incubators, and investment dollars, are dripping into the area. And perhaps for the first time in recent memory, young people are moving to Philadelphia.

Original source: Fast Company

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How Philly's efforts to eliminate food deserts could spread nationally

Washington Post Monday, June 11, 2012

The Washington Post digs into Philadelphia's effort to drive availability and consumption of healthy food, which "could steer the course of American food policy."

Philadelphia’s study, distinct in scope and scale, may deliver a breakthrough.

The city has, in many ways, been the epicenter of American efforts to improve food access. Of the country’s 10 largest cities, its population is the lowest-income, and it has higher obesity rates than New York City and Baltimore. It’s home to The Food Trust, a nonprofit that has risen to national prominence as an advocate for increasing food access for low-income Americans.

Original source: Washington Post

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Textizen is Philly's answer to narrowing digital divide

Government Technology Monday, June 11, 2012

Government Technology reports on Code For America's work on Textizen, a citizen feedback platform launched last week for Philadelphia.

Neighborhood-specific questions are posed via colorful posters in public places like bus shelters, along with instructions as to how citizens can make their voices heard.

The PCPC is currently seeking input to revise two of the 18 district plans within the city. In the densely populated central district, people can text in views about the city’s recreation sites. Two separate questions are being asked in an effort to gather input that will help direct continued investment in the area, a haven for young families.

Original source: Government Technology

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'With art Philadelphia,' campaign ponders the most artistic mile in the country

The New York Times Friday, May 25, 2012

Five city institutions have combined to launch the "With art Philadelphia," advertising that makes the city hard to ignore as a visual arts destination, reports The New York Times.

The campaign, with a budget estimated at $2 million over the next two years, is being sponsored by the tourism marketing organization and more than a dozen other organizations, associations, foundations and institutions.

They include the City of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, the State of Pennsylvania, the Barnes, three other museums and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.

Original source: The New York Times

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WSJ gushes over Philly's food, culture and design

Wall Street Journal Tuesday, May 22, 2012

The Wall Street Journal's insider's guide to Philadelphia touts "miles of green space," among other assets.

All this art wouldn't do much good if it couldn't be accompanied by an excellent meal. Fortunately, Philadelphia is awash with tasty picks, from Mark Vetri's fine-Italian Vetri to the quirky Talula's Garden, which opened just last year and has already earned national acclaim. But don't worry -- the cheesesteaks will always be dripping with juice. Some things never quite get old.

Original source: Wall Street Journal

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NYT likes how Philly food trucks roll

The New York Times Tuesday, May 15, 2012

The New York Times dives into Philadelphia's rapidly growing food truck culture, which still has plenty of room for growth.

In fact, the indie food-truck operators who tweet their location of the day to those in the know in Philadelphia have been retweeted by the likes of Le Meridien, a luxury hotel in Center City across from a plaza where many trucks set up.

That a hotel would promote trucks across the street in addition to its own upscale brasserie is an indication that food trucks, as overexposed as they seem, have their merits: they churn out reliably good, affordable food that you wouldn’t find on an average menu. And in Philadelphia, the scene is far from reaching its saturation point.

Original source: The New York Times

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NYT likes how Philly food trucks roll

The New York Times Friday, May 11, 2012

The New York Times dives into Philadelphia's rapidly growing food truck culture, which still has plenty of room for growth.

Original source: The New York Times

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WaPo writer's carless vacation to Philly should have been planned better

Washington Post Thursday, May 03, 2012

A Washington Post writer ventured to Philadelphia to assess the virtues of a carless vacation, although as our own Development News editor Andy Sharpe points out, she couldn't have picked two more out-of-the-way spots to visit.

I looked at the schedule on my phone. The bus that would have taken me to Woodford Mansion, a historic home in the city’s vast Fairmount Park, had come and gone. The next one wasn’t far behind, but it would drop me off just 15 minutes before the house closed at 4 p.m. Provided I could find the stop.

Original source: Washington Post

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Inside Viridity Energy's microgrid moves

GreenTech Tuesday, May 01, 2012

GreenTech revisits Philadelphia-based Viridity Energy's cutting-edge projects that aim to put a value on energy saved from SEPTA's regenerative braking system.

Viridity is already bidding battery-backed power into frequency regulation markets with partner and battery supplier Axion Power, which has installed Viridity’s system at its New Castle, Pa. manufacturing plant.

Original source: GreenTech

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