Only several blocks from the lively corner of 40th and Walnut streets, the intersection at 40th and Market boasts far less impressive retail and activity.
A collection of community stakeholders, however, is convinced that this does not have to be the case.
Area residents and community groups met at the end of August to discuss issues relating to the development of the intersection.
The changes will focus on "how quality-of-life issues can be addressed through design," Davis said.
Such issues include improving lighting and cleanliness, as well as security, drug use and traffic.
Unlike the changes that have unfolded on 40th Street between Spruce and Walnut streets in recent years, these plans will focus more on the block's safety and design than on its real estate.
Facilitated by the Partnership Community Development Corporation, Friends of 40th Street and PennPraxis - a branch of the Penn School of Design that applies urban planning concepts in the local community - the forum aimed to translate community needs into a tangible vision, said Ed Davis, a graduate student in planning at the Penn School of Design.
Davis said architects are currently in the process of drafting a design for the area, which will be unveiled in late September.
Matt Walker, director for economic development at the Partnership CDC, said that acquiring funding for the initiatives may be difficult, however.
The intersection of 40th and Market streets is critical because it is a "main locus of transportation and businesses" in the area, Davis said.
Developments in West Philadelphia, such as a new job-training center at 4027 Market St., are another reason why revitalization along the block is becoming important, Walker said.
This vision is part of a larger plan to improve the 40th-Street corridor.
PennPraxis director Harris Steinberg started Friends of 40th Street along with two other Penn associates in 2002. The group aims to bring residents, businesses and the University together for discussion.
Martin Flynn, who has run Flynn's Bar at 4010 Market St. for 58 years, said the recent meeting was the first of its kind.
"There is always talk and rumor that they were going to improve [the block], but lately there has been dialogue," he said.
He said he thinks the changes will bring more people to his business, especially on the 40th-Street side, which is currently like a "dead zone" in the evening.
