Boundaries

Most neighborhoods in Philadelphia have clearly defined boundaries that are recognized by residents and often used by such public agencies as the City Planning Commission for planning, zoning or data gathering purposes. The City Planning Commission has recorded its understanding of neighborhood names and boundaries as part of its Community Profile maps. The Community Profile maps are located online at: www.philaplanning.org/data/datamaps.html

Neighborhood boundaries can be defined by many different types of conditions, including history and development of an area. However, most often boundaries are defined by physical characteristics and changes such as the following conditions.

Major Streets

Major streets are the most common way to define a neighborhood boundary. Streets define clear edges that are easily recognized and remembered. Major streets often have different types of uses, such as greater density of commercial development, that often separate them in use and character from the adjacent neighborhoods. For example, Broad Street is often used as a boundary to define neighborhoods in North and South Philadelphia; Germantown Avenue and Market Street are also used to define neighborhood boundaries. One limitation in using streets as boundaries is that often both sides of the street exhibit the same character and it is therefore preferable to view the street itself as a unified area consisting of both sides of the street. This suggests that often it can be useful to define a neighborhood boundary by an intermediary street adjacent to a major street.

Natural or Man Made Features

Natural features such as parks, rivers, streams or man-made features such as railroad lines are also used to define boundaries. Natural features are less common as boundaries for Philadelphia neighborhoods except where neighborhoods may border parts of the Fairmount Park system or where regional rail lines create clear divisions between one neighborhood and another.natural feature.

Changes in Land use or Character

A change in land use from residential to commercial or industrial use might mark the boundary of a neighborhood and the start of another area. Changes in character, such as the change from single-family residential use to high-rise apartments or from a preponderance of row houses to a neighborhood of twin houses, might also create a boundary condition. A commercial corridor, such as major streets as noted above, might have an identity of its own and create a boundary for adjacent residential neighborhoods.

Surrounding Context

A neighborhood is often influenced by other uses or activities that are adjacent but outside of its own boundaries. The presence of a university, a hospital or similar large institutions, for example, often influences the population of a neighborhood and can often result in physical change and development within a neighborhood. Proximity to a major transit interchange might also do the same. It is therefore useful to have a general understanding of the surrounding context of the neighborhood – the neighborhoods that are adjacent or major institutions, transportation or other special elements in the immediate area.

Resources

The following resources may help in defining neighborhood boundaries.City Planning Commission Community Profile mapsThese maps contain a great deal of information about Philadelphia neighborhoods including neighborhood names and boundaries, zip codes, wards and councilman district boundaries, population data and other useful information (See Section Two: Neighborhood Planning Sections and Political Divisions pgs. 13-83/pg. 104)

  • www.philaplanning.org/data/boundaries.pdf
  • The Community Planning staff of the City Planning Commission can be a resource for determining boundaries and neighborhood context. http://phila2035.org/home-page/contact/
  • City Planning Commission Zoning Maps Zoning maps, aerial images and census data are good sources to help identify neighborhood boundaries and context. http://citymaps.phila.gov/Map/
  • Satellite and Aerial Views on Google Maps www.maps.google.com/maps