Becker called the new baseball field "a huge failure," and saidhe hopedthis would be for Philadelphia what the demolition of NewYork's old Penn Stationwas, "the example of squandered potential"that elevated the importance ofdesign quality as a public issue. Hequestioned whether the plannedconvention center expansion was amatter of "keeping up with the Joneses," and asked, "how big is toobig?"

Regarding neighborhood preservation, Steve Conn, a visitingprofessor atTemple University, called for a comprehensive strategyfor reviving thearea's many historic neighborhoods, "notnecessarily as touristdestinations," but to make visible, thecity's "layers of human history."Preservation, based on each area'sindividual historic resources, he said,"makes good economic sense,"and "is central to pride of place."

Calling city parking an "over-discussed, misunderstood issue,"AlanGreenberger of the locally based MGA Partners architecturalfirm, said thereare 50,000 car spaces in the city. "Do we reallyhave a parking problem?,"or is it: "I don't want to pay forparking," or, "I don't want to walk twoblocks?" He pointed toColumbus, OH, where he said more than half of thedowntown area isdevoted to parking and asked, rhetorically, "When does acity havetoo much?"