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Philadelphia’s Chinatown, like other Chinatowns across the country, has withstood a long history of urban renewal incursions and development pressures—much of which forced the community to organize alone for its own protection. Not only can development pressure directly threaten buildings, but it also exerts indirect threats that can have an equal or even greater effect on a neighborhood’s sense of place and cultural identity. And this pressure is not unique to Chinatown. It is a challenge now facing neighborhoods across the city—particularly minority and low-income communities.
The mission of the Preservation Alliance is “to actively promote the appreciation, protection, and appropriate use and development of the Philadelphia region’s historic buildings, communities and landscapes.” Thus, the Alliance advocates for more than just the preservation of historic architecture, but also for the preservation of healthy social and cultural life.
Simultaneously, the Alliance also recognizes that cities and landscapes must change over time. Our objective is not to try to stop all change, but rather to help manage change in ways that are equitable and sustainable. To that end, the Alliance endorses an approach to development that meaningfully engages with affected communities.
The proposed arena is not the only project that stands to put pressure on Chinatown’s land prices, rents and neighborhood cohesion. The Chinatown Stitch and the next phase of the Rail Park, for example, would bring welcome improvements to the public realm, but could also spark real estate speculation and outside investment in the neighborhood, imperiling its cultural heritage and social fabric. Last year, the National Trust for Historic Preservation named Philadelphia’s Chinatown to “America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places” list, with Preservation Alliance support, in recognition of its struggles to survive as a distinct ethnic enclave within a constantly growing and changing major urban center.
Given all the development pressures, which are likely to continue whether the arena project goes forward or not, several municipal regulatory tools are available that could help protect the neighborhood’s built environment and limit unwanted land speculation and out-of-scale development. These tools can include:
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Municipal Historic District – Philadelphia’s historic district designation provides protections for more than 40 neighborhoods across the city, including Washington Square West, which became a historic district earlier this month. Properties within a historic district cannot be altered or demolished without the review and approval of the Philadelphia Historical Commission.
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Neighborhood Conservation Overlay – This zoning tool allows neighborhoods to set standards for materials, setbacks, massing and height of new developments. Other Philadelphia neighborhoods, such as Queen Village, Strawberry Mansion and parts of Roxborough, have adopted this form of regulation, which is overseen by the Philadelphia City Planning Commission.
These tools can help manage change, reduce the risk of displacement, and slow the forces of gentrification. Yet, these tools are focused primarily on protecting buildings and, as such, are not equipped to safeguard the intangible qualities that give Chinatown its unique sense of place.
Chinatown’s predicament – their neighborhood’s backyard is the city’s front yard – suggests that city leaders and the community should explore other tools to help maintain its cultural assets. There are promising models that could be appropriate and beneficial, such as:
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Legacy Business Program: San Francisco has pioneered a program that recognizes longstanding independent businesses and provides targeted incentives to sustain their longevity and success. Such a program could help ensure that the small businesses that form the backbone of Chinatown’s economy continue to thrive.
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Cultural Resource Survey: The Philadelphia Historical Commission has piloted a project called “Treasure Philly!” to explore new means of capturing and recording historic and cultural resources in city neighborhoods. Expanding this initiative to Chinatown could help identify and protect non-material cultural assets.
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Tiered Historic Districts: The idea of a modified version of traditional Philadelphia historic districts emerged from Mayor Kenney’s Historic Preservation Task Force established in 2017. It would impose fewer design controls while reducing the risk of demolition within the district. This approach would be ideal for enclaves that are more significant for their cultural contributions than for the quality of their architectural fabric. The Philadelphia Department of Planning and Development organized a working group to develop this concept but has not yet made its findings public.
- City-sponsored financial programs should be expanded to incentivize affordable housing creation, historic preservation, and adaptive reuse.
Chinatown has long been a beacon of resilience. Its people have resisted multiple projects that could have displaced residents and undermined its ethnic identity. While this legacy of resistance and community organizing is admirable, it shouldn't be the community’s sole responsibility to constantly defend its existence. Our organization stands with Chinatown and urges the City and other decision-makers to negotiate in good faith and implement long-term, effective policy solutions that ensure growth doesn’t pose an existential threat to this historic neighborhood.
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