City Planning Club - East Passyunk Project

The City Planning Club meets at the Parkway Central Library on Thursday, November 19, 2026, at 11 AM. This month's session focuses on the East Passyunk Project, a deep dive into the planning and development of one of the city's most recognizable corridors. It's a monthly discussion group run by the Free Library of Philadelphia, open to adults and seniors, and it sits within the library's broader Philly 250 programming.

Each meeting centers on a specific topic in Philadelphia history and works its way toward the connections between the city's past and its planning and development. The East Passyunk Project is the focus this time around, so the conversation will revolve around how that area came to be and how it's been shaped over the years. If you've spent any time walking the neighborhood, you've seen the results; the club looks at the decisions that got it there.

To get a sense of the range, past sessions have covered the dredging of the Delaware River and updated plans for the Bellweather District. Those two couldn't be more different—one a massive industrial undertaking on the waterfront, the other a look at a specific district's future—which gives you an idea of how the group moves across the city's map. The common thread is always the same: how the history of a place informs the way it's planned and built.

The session is held in the Newspapers and Microfilm Center at the Parkway Central Library, so you'll be right where the city's records are kept. It starts at 11 AM on Thursday, November 19.