The Chinatown Stitch team has had an eventful 2026 so far! From engagement pop-ups to community meetings, the project team has been hard at work moving the project forward.

Background

The Chinatown Stitch aims to reconnect areas of Philadelphia’s Chinatown neighborhood historically divided by the 676 expressway. It will stitch the area back together through a new park built over the sunken expressway. The Stitch will also add critical traffic safety improvements along Vine Street from 9th to Broad Streets. The Stitch is more than a new park: it is an entire strategy to improve the quality of life for people living in Chinatown.

The project is being managed by City of Philadelphia in partnership with PennDOT and the Federal Highway Administration. The project’s scope currently includes a highway cap over I-676 from 10th to 12th Streets, with a park on top of it and additional safety improvements

Funding Status

Funding is secure to complete the design for Phase I of the Chinatown Stitch.  Thanks to the funding from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRCP) and matching funds from the City of Philadelphia, there is money to begin developing engineering drawings. This will allow the project to be “shovel ready.” This means construction can begin once future construction funding is secured. The City continues to explore funding opportunities. We are grateful to our elected officials at every level of government who have advocated for the project.

It is common for projects of this size to have funding from multiple sources. It is also common for large-scale projects to have changes in their funding status as they advance. However, every day, the project team works to move the Stitch forward bit by bit.

Summer Engagement Reflections

We conducted an additional round of targeted community engagement this summer. This round focused on the playground design, future Rail Park connection, and Winter Street landscape design. In this spring/summer engagement round, the project team:

  • Hosted 13 community pop-ups across Chinatown
  • Received 421 survey responses
  • Connected with more than 2,100 community members
  • Interacted with 102 stakeholders and businesses

This marked a big step forward to work with stakeholders and expand public awareness of the project. We had many conversations with families who are excited to see a park come to this neighborhood. We also heard from business owners, cyclists, and civic groups.

While the survey may have concluded at the end of July, that doesn’t mean it is the end of community participation in the process. The City and partners continue to seek feedback to shape the future of the Stitch. There were stakeholder share-out sessions this fall to provide a project update.

An illustrated view of adults using fitness equipment in the park.
An illustrated view of adults using fitness equipment in the park.
An illustrated view of children playing at a splashpad and adults sitting on benches nearby.
An illustrated view of children playing at a splashpad and adults sitting on benches nearby.

What the Market Stalls Mean

To celebrate the progress so far, the project team held an event called, “Market Stall and Movie Night.” The event was held at Chinatown Community Park on August 6, 2026. Attendees came to see the project renderings, engage with local vendors, and watch the documentary “Rally” about activism in San Francisco’s Chinatown. The project team had a fun time talking with people of all ages.

During community engagement, many people requested spaces to be able to sit, gather, and have spaces for local vendors. Over the summer, three model “market stalls” were installed in Chinatown Community Park. Before the movie, people were able to see them in action. Market stalls are modular, wood-and-red-metal structures. They are a preview of the new community spaces coming to the neighborhood as part of The Chinatown Stitch. The market stalls can be rearranged, so they can be used for vending, seating, and playing. They are also durable, so they will be part of the community for many years to come. The market stalls represent an immediate, tangible mark of progress on The Stitch.

People looking at project renderings hung on Market Stalls currently at Chinatown Community Park.
People looking at project renderings hung on Market Stalls currently at Chinatown Community Park.

Design Updates

Last fall, the City released renderings of many different elements of the Stitch. For the summer engagement, the project team developed new renderings. This included several potential connections to the Rail Park, playground themes, and Winter Street streetscapes.

An illustrated view of the entry to the playground. This option shows a gate inspired by reeds
An illustrated view of the entry to the playground. This option shows a gate inspired by reeds
An illustrated view of the entry to the playground. This option shows a gate inspired by the story of the Turtle and the Crane.
An illustrated view of the entry to the playground. This option shows a gate inspired by the story of the Turtle and the Crane.

The purpose of the renderings is to help people visualize what the project might look and feel like. Right now, the project team is reviewing feedback from the engagement round. The next step is to review the feedback from each proposed option and determine what people liked. What is included in the final design will likely be a combination of several options. Those will be released sometime in 2027.

An illustrated view of Vine Street eastbound showing landscape buffers separating vehicular traffic, bike lane, and sidewalk zones.
An illustrated view of Vine Street eastbound showing landscape buffers separating vehicular traffic, bike lane, and sidewalk zones.
An illustrated aerial view looking northeast at the Rail Park connector element that will serve as an overlook and provide a route to the next phase of the Rail Park.
An illustrated aerial view looking northeast at the Rail Park connector element that will serve as an overlook and provide a route to the next phase of the Rail Park.

Timeline

This is a long-term project for the City, but it’s an important one. Projects of this scale typically take years of planning, design and engagement – before construction even starts.

This timeline is intentional: Chinatown has already been torn apart before. The City, Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation (PCDC) and partners are committed to building this project the right way. That means inviting everyone to the table, which takes time. In addition to the physical cap, the project team is developing an Equity Plan. This will help ensure that the people who built Chinatown and have lived in Chinatown can stay in Chinatown once the park opens.

With current funding to complete design work, the Stitch is anticipated to be ready for construction in 2029. At that point, additional committed funding will dictate how quickly it is able to be built.  That means Phase I could be completed and open to the public in the mid-2030s. There is the potential for a Phase II, which also depends on future funding. That project, which would potentially cap the Vine Street Expressway from 12th to Broad Streets, has no plans at this time.

The Parker administration is committed to ensuring the Chinatown Stitch can be a gathering space for everyone. It will be transformative for a community desperately lacking in green space. It will spur economic growth for local businesses. And it will make Chinatown safer to get around, on any mode of transportation. We are grateful for public support as we make progress every day.

Ways to get involved

Because this is such a long timeline, the project team is always looking for people to stay involved. This can mean attending an engagement pop up in the future, telling your friends about the project, or contacting your elected officials to voice your support for the Stitch. Day by day, we get closer to a park uniting Chinatown rather than a highway that divides it.

Learn more about the Chinatown Stitch