Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) has released plans for a new mixed-use urban district for Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station Precinct. In response to projections showing significant increases in transit activity in the coming decades, the project calls for a transformation of the existing Beaux Arts train station and surrounding neighborhood of University City. The design will improve transportation throughout the city, and will activate the area with new shops, restaurants and public plazas.
SOM plans to turn the station into an iconic transportation hub capable of serving the 30,000 passengers who travel by train each morning by making improvements to the historic building and encircling it with new public plazas and walkways to improve pedestrian access. The plan features a new underground concourse, capped with a domed skylight, that will connect 30th Street Station to the city subway system.
Beyond the station, mixed-use buildings and parks will be filled with shops and restaurants to create a more cohesive network of public spaces. New buildings for Drexel University will connect via rethought vehicular, pedestrian, and cyclist systems, reducing congestion and improving walkability.
The 175-acre proposal was master planned by SOM and designed in association with Parsons Brinckerhoff, OLIN and HR&A Advisors.
