City plans land use survey in Philly neighborhoods this summer

City planners to survey land use in Philly neighborhoods this summer

Unites States : Illustration — Source: Frédéric Soltan / Getty

This summer, officials from the Philadelphia City Planning Commission will be traveling throughout Philadelphia’s neighborhoods to conduct a land use survey.

City planners are expected to work in pairs as they compare and contrast the City’s property records against the real-life activity in neighborhoods. The information gathered in a land use survey is limited, and will includes things such as:

Whether or not there is a building on site,
Number of stories in the building,
Whether a building has a commercial, industrial or residential use, and
How many residences may be in the building.

This survey is an information-gathering exercise; it is not for enforcement purposes. With that, officials will not record information about ownership, building condition, vacancy, or permits.

They will use this information to update the City’s records so that City staff, including those in other agencies, like the Department of Commerce or the Streets Department, can make data-informed recommendations and decisions.

You can see the current land use survey information on OpenMaps [CLICK HERE] and select the “Land Use” layer.

The last time city planners conducted a city-wide land use survey was between 2011 and 2018, as part of the Philadelphia2035 comprehensive plan. This summer’s land use survey work will help inform Philadelphia2050, the City’s comprehensive plan update.