(St. Laurentius | Photo: Jon Geeting)

Last summer we wrote about the ongoing saga of St. Laurentius church, the historic and fast-deteriorating Fishtown church that's locked in an intractable legal battle that only Councilmanic Prerogative can save it from. 

(Surface parking coverage in central Philadelphia | Image: Research Institute for Housing America )

A big new study from data scientist Eric Scharnhorst for the Research Institute for Housing America measures the parking supply in five large U.S. cities and finds that Philadelphia is actually flush with parking, with a parking density about 3.7 times greater than the density of homes.

(Image: Neighbors for More Neighbors)

The Wall Street Journal might have chosen a more sympathetic protagonist for their article about rising home prices in Philadelphia, but there's been a surprising reaction to the article by some of the online commentariat that reveals the true roots of the budding middle-class housing affordability issues in greater Center City.

(The Granary)

One of the more under-discussed moments at Monday's inclusionary zoning hearing was when Anne Fadullon, the Director of Planning and Development, testified that the Kenney administration has been doing pre-preparation work for a comprehensive Housing Plan for Philadelphia.

(A dreaded mid-rise building in Seattle | Photo: Jon Geeting)

The Mixed-Income Housing Bill in City Council is being touted by its supporters as a way to preserve racial and socioeconomic diversity as Philly neighborhoods continue to appreciate. But it's gotten so watered down and off-track at this point that it would be a mistake to continue on with the amended bill as the baseline. In fact, the original bill wasn't that far off the mark. 

(Image: Kevin Gillen, Lindy Institute at Drexel University)

Philly developers have been building a lot of apartments over the last few years, and the steady pace of construction has some people feeling anxious (or excited in some cases) about when the boom times will end. 

(Quaker Building | Photo: Post Brothers)

Inquirer architecture critic Inga Saffron uses her column this week to blast the Zoning Board of Adjustment for their transparently political rejection of Post Brothers' redevelopment plan for the Quaker Building at 9th and Poplar. 

(The Quaker Building | Image: Post Brothers)

Last week we wrote about how wards shouldn't be officially recognized as RCOs by the city, and discussed the example of the 14th Ward organization being assigned as the coordinating RCO to hear Post Brothers' zoning appeal for a conversion of the long-vacant industrial Quaker Building into a 350-unit apartment building at 9th and Poplar.

(Rendering: Women's Community Revitalization Project)

Claudia Vargas's piece on how Councilmembers reserve city-owned land for favored developers and projects is both a great lens into why Philly continues to have more vacant land than any other large city, and a frustrating example of how nobody cares about the city tax base.

(Large construction projects like the Science Center expansion will enjoy more local support if Philadelphians get the jobs)

The various efforts over the years to integrate Philadelphia's historically segregated building trades, most recently through the Rebuild initiative, is a noble cause on the merits, but it's also an important piece of creating a more pro-growth politics in the city.