The DNA of Philadelphia - Part I

07/20/23 • 37 min

It’s hard to say anything about Philadelphia without talking about the founding of America or the fact that this city is home to the first library, hospital, university, art gallery, stock exchange, and of course, the Philly Cheese Steak, Rocky and Sound of Philadelphia.

In this episode we explore the long history behind this Quaker city that emerged between the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers. It is important to take a historic perspective in Philadelphia because its most recent chapter has not been as prosperous as the previous 350 years or so. Philadelphians often ask themselves how they can reconcile the story of Philadelphia as a great social innovator with its present.

In this episode, we hear from Professor David Brownlee, Sylvie Gallier-Howard, Eleanor Sharpe and Lauren Swartz.

To learn more about the DNA of Cities and sign up for our latest updates visit www.thednaofcities.com.

In this episode, we hear from Professor David Brownlee, Sylvie Gallier-Howard, Eleanor Sharpe and Lauren Swartz.

To learn more about the DNA of Cities and sign up for our latest updates visit www.thednaofcities.com.

Previous Episode

The DNA of London - Part II

In part II of our visit to London we explore how the city’s enormous size gives it the ability to regenerate in the face of shock. We ask how London's diversity creates and contributes to the city's strength, resilience and innovation. We discover the London of freedom - a city that respects individual privacy, encourages freedom of thought and honours freedom of expression. While London’s social contract may be one of live and let live, we ask how these organising ideas about London continue to materially shape the city.

Our guests in this episode are Laura Citron, Professor Vanessa Harding, Rt Hon David Lammy MP and Professor Tony Travers.

To learn more about the DNA of Cities and sign up for our latest updates visit www.thednaofcities.com.

Next Episode

The DNA of Philadelphia - Part II

In the last episode we heard about the arrival of the Quaker settlers and the emergence of Philadelphia between the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers. We heard why the US Constitution was signed in Philadelphia, the role of the city in the Civil War, the rise and fall of industry, and how all of this has shaped the Philadelphia of today.

Amongst all of this fascinating history are, of course, human stories of bold individuals and groups of people who have shaped and been shaped by the city. We know for example that Philadelphia’s Quaker society was deliberately premised on an relatively egalitarian, tolerant and liberal philosophy, without deference to Kings and Queens.

Understanding more about where that quintessentially Philadelphian mindset has come from, our task in this episode is to understand the unique ways this manifests itself in the modern city.

In this episode, we hear from Professor David Brownlee, Sylvie Gallier-Howard, Eleanor Sharpe and Lauren Swartz.

To learn more about the DNA of Cities and sign up for our latest updates visit www.thednaofcities.com.