Harris Steinberg is an architect and director of PennPraxis
Philadelphia is at a crossroads, and the road ahead runs along the Delaware River.
Cities around the world understand that public investment in parks, streets and boulevards should be guided by smart planning and land-use regulations. They understand the relationship between first-rate public design and quality of life.
What's more, from New York's 19th-century Central Park to Chicago's recent Millennium Park, we can see how targeted public investment in open space and infrastructure attracts private investment - more than paying for itself in the long run.