A $3.5B redevelopment in Philadelphia begins with a public park

A 20-year project to revitalize 14 acres of underused land near the 30th Street Station in Philadelphia is launching with the construction of a public park. Eventually the Schuylkill Yards project will be a science and technology center, boasting some 2.8 million square feet of office space and one million square feet of lab space. The plans also call for 1.6 million square feet of residential and more than 100,000 square feet of retail. The city hopes proximity to the transit hub, as well as Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania, will attract as much as $4.5 billion in additional private investment. [NYT]