The mayor has talked about making Philadelphia, “The New River City,” but right now public access and green space along both of our rivers is limited, and so far he has done little but talk about the idea that our rivers are an assett.  Meanwhile, the only plans for the rivers that are recieving his attention are the ones for casinos.  Lets not even get started about how his fundraising scandals have stalled the development of Penn’s Landing for almost a decade. 

We need some folks in city hall who not only get that the rivers matter, but will act to deliver them back to the people.  The Next Great City iniative calls for the next mayor to “require that all new construction along the riverfront include greenways to permit public access and protect water quality.”  There are several organizations fighting for our rivers and there have been many plans drawn up in recent years to take the rivers back.  Here are a few:

Anyone who hates crossing train tracks to get the the Schuylkill from center city will want to support Free the Schuylkill Park.  They have lots of great events coming up, incuding a tour of what will become the West Bank Greenway on the Schuykill on Oct 3.  This greenway is part of a $2.5 Billion dollar development plan for the schuylkill.

There is also a huge plan to reclaim greenspace on the north Deleware River.  In addition, Neighbors Alligned for the Best Riverfront, are working to protect the central Deleware River from reckless development and private control by casino opperators and gated communities.

But even as most talk of the Deleware is now for residence and recreation, it is still widely used by industry.  There are two huge projects being proposed for the river that threaten public health and safety.  PGW is still pushing for a Liquified Natural Gas station along the north Deleware.  Read about the many dangers, including the potential for the facility to cause a fire extending along the river’s surface for more than half a mile. Last but not least, there is a strong debate about whether it is necessary to dredge the Deleware in order for Philly to remain a viable port city. There are strong proponents and strong oppositon for this important issue that has so far remained low profile amongst the general population.