Battle Against the Bulldozer: The Creative Destruction of Philadelphia

As much as any American city in the twenty-first century, Philadelphia has been defined by large-scale urban erasure — slum clearance, blight eradication, and demolition by neglect — that has shaped the urban fabric and marked the civic psyche.

Thursday, September 12, 2013 – Wednesday, December 31, 1969

6:30pm - 8:00pm

How has demolition shaped the city of today? What urban potential can be harnessed through destruction?

In this free public lecture, Jeff Byles, demolition historian and writer on the contemporary urban landscape, surveys the city’s complex relationship with “unbuilding” as a potent planning tool. From midcentury projects such as Independence Mall and Society Hill, to Mayor John Street’s far-reaching Neighborhood Transformation Initiative and today’s more nuanced anti-blight interventions, Philadelphia offers a provocative case study in razing and renewal. The future city, Byles suggests, demands a careful yet creative engagement with demolition’s dynamic.

Battle Against the Bulldozer is a public program of Temple Contemporary’s city-wide initiative Funeral for a Home. Register here.

Location

Center for Architecture
1218 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA
More information

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