Skip to content

“The Porch” at 30th Street Station Welcomes You to Philadelphia

For nine months now, Philadelphia's awesome new public space "The Porch" has been flying under the nation's livable streets radar.

For nine months now, Philadelphia’s awesome new public space “The Porch” has been flying under the nation’s livable streets radar.

Installed by 30th Street Station as part of a larger PennDOT undertaking, the project reclaimed asphalt from cars and devoted it to people. The Porch provides a great place to meet up, and it shows what American cities can achieve at major transit hubs when they strive to create great public spaces.

The planners of The Porch looked to New York City’s Times Square for inspiration, and there might be something for NYC to learn in return as the city considers transforming parts of Vanderbilt Avenue outside Grand Central Terminal into pedestrian spaces.

Photo of Clarence Eckerson Jr.
Clarence Eckerson Jr. is the Director of Video Production for NYCSR's StreetFilms and producer of bikeTV. He loves the color purple, chocolate chip cookies, and enjoys walking, biking, and taking transit. He has never owned a driver's license.

Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.

More from Streetsblog New York City

‘Rate Evaders’: Auto Insurance Address Fraud Soars Under Hochul’s Watch

April 21, 2026

MTA Workers Park All Over Sidewalks Outside Astoria Facility

April 21, 2026

Tuesday’s Headlines: Cops Are Doing It Wrong Edition

April 21, 2026

Non-Profits, City Officials Put Pressure On Lawmakers To OK Gov. Hochul’s ‘Stop Super Speeders’ Effort

April 20, 2026

‘A Solution, But To What Problem?’ Experts Say AVs Are The Elephant In The Room, But There’s Still Time To Figure Out Their Role

April 20, 2026
See all posts