“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.

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.