The Possible City: Exercises in Dreaming Philadelphia

Popkin is emerging as Philadelphia’s literary voice. Using the insights and experiences of our lives, he is showing us what Philadelphia can become. His sensitive portrayal of the modern city linked to the elevating vision of its founder provides the guideposts for our future imaginings. From the grand to what’s outside our door, this book helps us gain an insight to a word on the lips of all Philadelphians—potential. Sam KatzPopkin has written an evocative and provocative portrait of a great but flawed city. It is defiant and fierce and filled with the power and potential of urban life. It should be read by anyone who loves cities and dreams of making them better. Richard C. Scragger, professor of Law, University of Virginia   “Without revolution, industry, or influence,” says author Nathaniel Popkin, “Philadelphia lives on by invention.” Here, in the loving hand of the city planner-turned-writer, is the architecture of Philadelphia's current reinvention: its beguiling founding idea