It was as if Paris itself knew why I had come. Or maybe I was finally seeing Paris for what it really was: a marvelous open-air cinema where the filmstrips of our memories flicker ceaselessly, even as we shoot new scenes. (NYT)

In a fun activity, he assigned a group of international high school students to get “lost” in Central Park. (World Matt)

Okay, so maybe New York rivals the City of Lights for imagery.

Density, livability, and social equity could redefine New York for the 21st century.
(NY Mag) And it’s refreshing to see New York City’s municipal architecture embracing 21st century urban planning ideals and new architects. (NYT) In Queens, PS1 and the Noguchi Museum look to Long Island City’s future with new master plans. (Urban Omnibus)

But great design isn’t limited to New York — this week DesignPhiladelphia celebrates urban life (Flying Kite Media). Much of Philadelphia’s regeneration could be attributed to Paul Levy, the head of the powerful Center City District, with a budget of $20 million. (City Paper).

Fiftieth anniversaries for the Cherry Hill Mall — which was intriguingly originally planned to be like a pedestrian mall in the suburbs (Philly.com) — and for Washington D.C.’s underutilized RFK Stadium (WP).

Progressive Field's Snow Park in Cleveland. / Image via Atlantic Cities, Progressive Field.

Neighborhood regeneration could come from:
-Winter use of ballparks like in Cleveland (Atlantic Cities).
-Designing with poor people instead of for them, as a Cooper-Hewitt curated exhibit shows. (Atlantic Cities)
-Improving mass transit, as in Atlanta’s BeltLine Plan and the watered-down Grand Paris plan.
-A great seaside resort, like Blackpool, England. (BBC)

San Fracisco Scale Model in 1940. / Image via Atlantic Cities/National Archives.

Finally — who doesn’t get excited about scale models of cities? San Francisco’s from 1940 was just discovered! (Atlantic Cities)

“Home Sweet School”

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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - As people grow through various stages of their lives, how and where they live changes as well. And as single people turn into married families with children, schools factor into the housing equation.

Paul Levy, head of the Center City District (below right), notes that as people change, so do their housing needs.

(Paul Levy, CEO of Center City District. Photo provided)

“Everybody kind of lives where they think it’s hip and cool when they’re 23,” he tells KYW Newsradio, “and when they start thinking about having children or when they have children, suddenly this issue of ‘where is the playground, where is the school?’ becomes really prominent.”

And he says many people begin to take school “catchment” zones into consideration when looking to buy a family home.

“The school district has a series of elementary schools that are meant to serve specific neighborhoods, and so they draw a line on the map based on their counting of the number of people and they call that area that’s served by the school the ‘catchment’ area,” Levy explains.

View Elementary School Catchment Map for Center City Philadelphia

(Ken McCoy, real estate agent. Credit: Hadas Kuznits)

Ken McCoy (right), a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker, says good schools are among the top amenities for young families.

“And it’s a big selling point for someone and it’s a big search point for someone who’s actually looking to purchase a home,” he says.

How does that affect the price of a house?

“It’s a huge impact on the house,” McCoy says.  “If you are within that (desirable) catchment, it could have anywhere from $30,000 to possibly $100,000 difference.  Some people will use the numbers of 10 to 20 percent.”

Reported by Hadas Kuznits, KYW Newsradio 1060

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“Home Sweet School”

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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -   For parents who want to send their children to the best school but can’t afford to buy a home nearby, don’t be discouraged.

But what are your options as a young family with children if you can’t afford to buy a house in your desired school district?

“If you don’t live in the boundaries or the ‘catchment area’ of a school, there are independent schools, there are obviously parochial schools, there are charter schools,” says Paul Levy (right), CEO of the Center City district.

He says that in Philadelphia, the Meredith School has emerged as one of the city’s top elementary schools.  And he says it can be used an example of how to improve education in any community.

“The Meredith School didn’t drop from heaven in a great state,” Levy told KYW Newsradio.  “It emerged over the last 10 to 15 years because successive waves of parents said we want to work together to improve this school.”

View Catchment Area Map For Meredith Elementary School

(Ken McCoy. Credit: Hadas Kuznits)

Ken McCoy (right), a real estate agent who works in the Delaware Valley, says he’s noticed a common characteristic of desirable schools:

“There has to be a strong parent organization that supports those schools if you expect the school to succeed.”

“The trend we’re seeing is young parents with preschoolers getting together now and talking to the school,” notes Levy.  “They are working on simple things, like how do you improve the external appearance of the school so you just feel welcome when you go there?”

(Forrest Huffman.)

But what if you don’t have a decade to wait for a school to improve?  Forrest Huffman (right), a professor of real estate and finance at Temple University, says living in a district doesn’t mean you have to be a homeowner.

“You rent!  There are benefits and offsettings associated with choosing rentals,” Huffman advises.

Sean O’Shea, a father of three, says renting can even be cost-effective, depending on the real estate market.

“Well, I wish I had bought this year instead of last year — because the housing prices are down,” he says.

Reported by Hadas Kuznits, KYW Newsradio 1060

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Enjoying my third day of retirement. One of the things I wanted to do the most was work with my kids. 7 Days to Social Media is a company that guides small business thru changing social media and helps them make money doing it.

This is the formula: Doctors who can’t afford to care for Patients + Patients who can’t find a Doctor who can afford to see them = Lousy Government. Let me say this one more time: Doctors are not the bad guys here; they just don’t want to go broke. Patients aren’t the bad guys here; they are simply seeking medical care. The only Big-Time-Oughta-Be-Ashamed-Of-Themselves-and-Must-Think-We’re-Idiots Bad Guys are the goverment officials who are herding us into this scenario they’ve crafted. We’re all puppets, people. It’s their stage.