AED Presents: Contesting Displacement in Chinatown
Philadelphia’s Chinatown has long been the site of urban renewal and redevelopment projects, most, if not all of which have had negative effects on neighborhood life. Urban planners and city leaders historically treated Chinatown as a blank canvas on which they could draw plans for highways, recommend demolitions by the block, and propose grand new sports, tourist, and entertainment venues. Through it all, the Chinatown community has organized and pushed back against proposals, writing their own history of activism, resistance and community based planning.
Today, 76 Place, a proposed new basketball arena for the Philadelphia 76ers, represents another chapter in the long story of Chinatown’s struggle against displacement. This event, which brings together academics and local activists, seeks to place the proposed arena in historical context, discuss the challenges the arena presents for the neighborhood, highlight community activism and envision alternative neighborhood futures.
Panelists:
Domenic Vitiello (he/him), Associate Professor of City Planning and Urban Studies, University of Pennsylvania
Cinthya Hioe (she/her), Asian Americans United
Moderator:
Ryan Thomas Devlin (he/him) Assistant Professor of City Planning and Community Development, Tyler School of Art and Architecture