On Sept. 18, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker announced her endorsement of 76 Place, a proposed basketball arena for the Philadelphia 76ers in Center City. If the plans are approved, 76 Place would be built on the 1000 Block of Market Street, one block from Chinatown’s Friendship Gates. Parker’s endorsement is the first step in the legislative process for the arena’s construction to begin in 2028.
DevCo, a privately owned development real estate company, announced original plans for 76 Place in July 2022. The arena was proposed as a community-driven revitalization effort for Center City, but many residents of Chinatown feared eventual gentrification.
Although Parker promises to mitigate the detrimental effects the arena may have on Chinatown, only 18% of Philadelphia residents support the project, according to a poll by the Save Chinatown Coalition. The principal concerns include the impact on infrastructure, increased property taxes and the potential loss of a culturally rich neighborhood in Philadelphia, CBS News reported.
The new arena is of great concern for all Philadelphians including Temple students who like shopping at local businesses and eating at restaurants. It’s not an option to ignore the potential threat to Chinatown; students must fight against the construction of 76 Place and preserve the historic neighborhood of Philadelphia.
Students should use their voices to advocate against the construction of 76 Place because it threatens a culturally inclusive safe space for many people living in Philadelphia. To support Chinatown, students should consider joining or supporting advocacy groups like Asian Americans United, No Arena PHL, Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance and Students for the Preservation of Chinatown. Students can support these organizations by volunteering, signing petitions or giving donations.
SPOC, APIPA and AAU have taken steps like rallying at City Hall and protesting on campuses around Philadelphia to bring attention to their cause. Taking action and participating in organized events held by these groups students will bolster the cogency of demonstrations while being active proponents of the Chinatown community’s right to exist.
Chinatown has been a target for massive construction projects for years, like the Vine Street Expressway, which separated Chinatown into two parts. The expressway negatively impacted the neighborhood, reducing pedestrian safety and increasing noise and air pollution.
In the late 1980s, the Pennsylvania Convention Center also displaced seven businesses that were later relocated to the east side of 9th Street, according to PCDC.
Residents of Chinatown are once again afraid of losing their homes, businesses and their neighborhood, which offers an inclusive space for Asian American communities.
Students can show support by shopping and eating at local businesses in Chinatown during this period of unease. Businesses like Le How Fook on North 11th and Spring Street and David’s Mai Lai Wah on Race Street near North 12th are restaurants that have been operating for more than 50 years. Going to these restaurants or other small businesses in Chinatown can support the local economy and show that these establishments are a valuable part of Philadelphia.
After Parker’s public support of 76 Place and the unveiling of the stadium’s financial plans, the next step in the project is City Council approval. The proposal needs nine votes of support before it hits Parker’s desk for the final stamp of approval.
The plans could be introduced to council members as soon as Oct. 24, so students must make their voices heard before it’s too late. To directly share their opposition to 76 Place with the City Council, students can contact their district’s council members and other council members at large. The City Council website provides phone numbers to members’ offices and inquiry boxes for any written messages.
District council members are in office to represent the beliefs and desires of the population they serve in each of Philadelphia’s 10 districts. Contacting those representatives to make them aware of the public’s disagreement with the proposed stadium is one of the easiest ways to advocate for Chinatown.
Organizations like No Arena PHL encourage locals to contact their district representatives and provide an online form to make the process seamless. Students can use the form to fill out their information, including zip code and phone number, and immediately receive a call that provides a direct transfer to their city representative so they can urge them to oppose the construction of 76 Place.
Many Temple students, including Nina Hall, believe her peers should use their voices and advocate for the preservation of Chinatown.
“I feel like even here at Temple we are kind of like, I don’t want to say products of gentrification, but we, in some ways, promote it, just with the school being located in the area that it is,” said Hall, a junior environmental science major. I feel like this is a really great chance to use our voice to stand up for something that’s important and could have lasting, you know effects.”
After more than two years of backlash from Chinatown residents and the Greater Philadelphia community, the mayor’s endorsement has furthered fears that the arena will result in the displacement of Chinatown’s residents and small businesses.
Ryan Delvin believes that if 76 Place is a successful arena there will likely be an increase in local investment and interest in local property, which can result in the dislocation of current residents.
“So smaller family-owned restaurants, businesses catering to local residents will likely be priced out unless there’s some kind of protection put in for them,” said Delvin, an associate professor of city and regional planning.
City officials attempted to relieve the anxieties of locals by releasing impact studies to counter the common criticisms of the construction of 76 Place. The studies claim the stadium would bring in nearly $2 billion in revenue across a 30 year span. People in Chinatown are still wary of the studies since they were funded by the Sixers Organization, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Property taxes have increased by up to 70% in the Chinatown area since 2013 and it’s likely that rent increases further stemming from the construction of 76 Place, according to the 2024 impact study conducted by the Department of Planning and Development of the City of Philadelphia.
The economy is one of the most important issues for 67.5% of voters on campus, according to an August 2024 poll conducted by The Temple News. Though the new arena promises to bring job opportunities and revenue to Chinatown, the construction could result in economic adversity for a vulnerable Philadelphia community.
With Philadelphia’s most vibrant cultural hotspot at risk of relocation, students should seek out accurate information on 76 Place and be aware of its consequences. Local news outlets like CBS, ABC and The Philadelphia Inquirer report updates about the proposed arena regularly. They also provide recaps of the mayor’s town halls or other high-profile events pertaining to 76 Place.
Students can also stay informed and up to date about 76 Place through resources like teach-ins and community gatherings at the Ginger Arts Center on North 12th Street in Chinatown or the information available on SPOC’s Instagram page, which frequently shares information on rallies and marches.
With Temple suffering from similar criticisms of gentrifying North Central neighborhoods, the threats facing Chinatown should be a key concern of students. The median home value in the Temple area has increased 152% in the last decade, according to a 2022 study by Philadelphia Works, an economic research non-profit. Considering the adverse effects of Temple on the surrounding neighborhoods, remaining silent about 76 Place is not a viable course of action.
In a city riddled with housing discrimination and the lasting effects of systemic racial prejudice, it’s important for students to be involved in the fight for Chinatown’s preservation.
Kendall Harris believes student voices could influence the fight for Chinatown’s protection. Temple housing a diverse array of liberal arts should inspire students to be actively involved, he said.
“It could happen to anybody,” said Harris, a junior theater major. “And it’s just about being mindful, especially as college students at a liberal school, it’s just important to be aware and to recognize that this could be anybody’s situation.”
Philadelphia’s Chinatown is not the first to be affected by revitalization efforts. In 1995, Washington D.C. Mayor Marion Barry announced plans to build a basketball arena for the Washington Wizards near the city’s Chinatown District. In 1997, the MCI Center, now known as the Capital One Arena, opened near D.C.’s Chinatown, causing fears of displacement.
Twenty years later, housing prices have risen, leading to the exodus of most Chinese businesses and residents, WAMU, Washington D.C.’s NPR station, reported.
The consequential death of D.C. Chinatown and the displacement of a community represent what can occur when a city prioritizes commercialized infrastructure over a vibrant historic neighborhood. With an imminent risk of a culturally significant area being fizzled out as a result of corporate expansion, resistance and direct action are necessary.
Due to Parker’s endorsement of 76 Place being built a block from Chinatown’s gates, it is in the hands of Philadelphia’s residents, including Temple students, to fight against the predatory actions of DevCo. Though it may seem helpless to fight large corporations, collective action is one of the last resorts for Chinatown as the City Council vote approaches.
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