Of all the far-reaching, ambitious discussions at the TEDxPhilly event at Temple University last November, it was Diana Lind’s 15-minute talk that ultimately proved to be the boldest. As executive director of national nonprofit media organization Next American City, she has seen firsthand how our nation’s cities are trying to create more vibrant urban environments in the face of a longstanding car culture, and cited large projects in San Francisco and New York, among others, that have been transformational.

So when Lind suggested dismantling and removing the three-mile stretch of Interstate-95 in Philadelphia that separates the city from the Delaware River waterfront instead of rebuilding the road, it somehow seemed more like a life-saving procedure rather than elective surgery. 

In late February, Lind helped wrangle a high-profile panel of national experts at a Re-Imagining Urban Highways forum at the Academy of Natural Sciences that kicked off debate on I-95 removal. While that proved fruitful in gathering interested stakeholders, there was still a shortage of cold, hard facts regarding what's at stake when it comes to I-95's future. Now, that data is forthcoming, Lind says, as part of a public-private coalition that is aiming to put together an authoritative report that weighs repair, replacement and removal options, possibly as early as September.

"There’s a lot of emotion involved on both sides of I-95," Lind says. "What we’re arguing over, to some degree, is our own points of view and we don’t have enough factual information to make a good decision about it."
 

Why now? The need to rebuild I-95 due to structural obsolescence in the next couple decades provides the perfect opportunity for such a bold move in Philadelphia. 

"If we can both say this is an opportunity to save $15 billion, then we’ve got something," she says. "But that hasn’t happened yet. As much as the city will say we don’t have the money to tunnel I-95 or create a new transportation line down by the Delaware, we actually don’t have the money to rebuild I-95 either."

"We need to recognize we’re both talking about a future based on a lot of assumptions, so the more info we can get, the better economic case we can make."

Why Lind? While it was too premature for her to get into specifics about the coalition, it is led by Next American City, which has amplified its presence in Philadelphia by moving into new digs in Brewerytown at 2816 Girard Ave. The organization’s Urban Innovation Storefront houses Lind and three other full-time staffers, exhibitions and events, like the Tactical Urbanism Salon on April 28. The salon will bring together urban interventionists from Philly and beyond to consider how short-term action can lead to long-term change in cities.

The storefront, which features an "urban soda garden" to draw attention to the need for better food choice in Brewerytown,  also gives NAC a bird's eye look at a commercial corridor in transition and a neighborhood that represents the plight of Philly and countless other urban enclaves.

"We feel really welcomed here and it's nice to work in a residential area where we see school children and people who aren't working, too," says Lind. "We are constantly reminded of a sense for potential (here)."

Lind and company are also ramping up efforts to reach more people nationally. Last week, Next American City launched Forefront, a new weekly media product in the form of a weekly long-form article available to digital subscribers ($17.88 annually) or for individual purchase. Next American City’s website will continue to offer free daily content.