Slam Dunk or Devaluing Heritage: The Controversy and Effects of the 76ers’ Proposed Arena Next to Chinatown

Wednesday, December 27 2024

What’s Happening?

Major league sports dominate the cultural fabric of Philadelphia; this becomes evident through viral videos of unhinged Philadelphia sports fans committing acts such as climbing up the greased poles of Broad Street or riding on top of Police vehicles in traffic. Basketball is no exception to this normalized obsession. The Philadelphia Metropolitan Area's Professional Basketball Team, the Philadelphia 76ers, as of December 2023, has its home court in the South Philadelphia Sports Complex's infamous Wells Fargo Center. The problem, however, is that the 76ers' lease on the complex is scheduled to expire in 2031. With a love for sports engrained so deeply into the city's culture, this begs the question: where will the Sixers go? 

Why Is This Happening?

The construction of a new 76ers Arena is primarily managed by 76ers co-owner David Adelman and is planned to be a privately funded 1.3 Billion dollar stadium with an 18,500-person seating capacity. The 76ers are intended to move into this new stadium by 2031–when their lease at the Wells Fargo Center ends. The proposed location of the new arena is right in the middle of the Market East neighborhood, bounded on its northern side by Filbert Street, its southern side by Market Street, its eastern side by 10th Street, and its western side by 11th Street. This specific plot was chosen due to its proximity to shopping, dining, and public transportation–important aspects the Wells Fargo Center lacks. However, the controversy around this project, now known as "76 Place," revolves around the very location that developers picked for the new arena.

Located less than 400 feet north of the arena's proposed site lies one of Philadelphia's most iconic culturally and historically rich ethnic enclaves: Chinatown. Since its founding in 1871, Philadelphia Chinatown has been home to hundreds of Chinese-American-owned businesses and thousands of Chinese-American citizens. Throughout its history, it served as a safe space for Chinese immigrants to live and gather amongst each other, especially during the times of Chinese-targeted discriminatory government legislation the 19th and 20th centuries and even during the recent rise in pandemic-related anti-Asian hate crimes. 

Background History

Unfortunately, Chinatown is no stranger to receiving marginalizing projects and legislature; it has been fighting marginalization since its founding. In the 1930s, the city's construction of the Broad Ridge Spur subway saw the claim and destruction of Chinatown residents' property in the name of eminent domain. In the '60s, the then-proposed Vine Street Expressway resulted in the construction of an interstate highway that now divides the northern half of Chinatown, sparking one of the first large-scale political movements to protect the neighborhood. As a matter of fact, it is not even the first time that Chinatown residents saw a controversial project take place in the exact proposed spot of 76 places, let alone their overall neighborhood. Just 16 years earlier, in 2008, the plan to construct the 3000 slot machine "Foxwoods Casino" in the precise footprint of the modern day 76 place was introduced and successfully fought against. 

Philadelphia's Chinatown serves as a safe space for all Asian-Americans in the city's vicinity

Sixers vs. Chinatown

Both sides to this ongoing controversy stand firmly in place, with advocates and critics presenting themselves powerfully. 

Advocates for the arena's construction primarily emphasize the economic benefits of the project's completion. This is made pretty obvious by the official website for 76 Place, which claims that the new stadium will "...generate tax revenue [...] to fund vital city services," "...increase foot traffic and commerce for [the] Market East [neighborhood] and local businesses," "...directly create 9100+ construction jobs for Philly residents," and is essentially a "No brainer for our local economy." The 76ers also emphasized that their arena will contain a building with 79 units designated for affordable housing,  seeming like an attempt to address Chinatown residents' concerns regarding community displacement. However, the economic benefits emphasized by the advocates for 76 Place may not be what they seem. Co-founder of Asian Americans United Debbie Wei, in an interview with PhillyMag, states that the increase in foot traffic gives the surrounding businesses the "occasional person" but that these people do not provide establishments equal to "business that regulars give." 

Regarding the social significance of the arena, many Chinatown residents fear that the development of the new stadium will end in the displacement of more Chinese Americans, similar to the effects of the Pennsylvania Convention Center's construction in the early 1990s and that of the Vine Street Expressway in the '60s. But advocates for 76 Place seem to be aware of this fear, with project manager David Adelman stating to PhillyMag that unlike the Vine Street Expressway and the Convention Center (two similarly contentious projects in Chinatown's past), the construction of the new arena will not involve the "displace[ment] of one business or one resident," considering that both of the aforementioned projects involved using eminent domain. However, in the same article, Wei emphasizes that she sees the proposed stadium "as a clear 'land grab' by experienced developers," highlighting the historical justification behind many Chinatown residents' skepticism of the arena's benefits. Additionally, when considering the recent rapid gentrification of various Philadelphia neighborhoods, such as Fishtown and Northern Liberties, 76 Place critics also view the establishment of the arena as a similar gentrifying act—putting the heart of Chinatown at risk of yet another destructive redevelopment project.

Good Ol' Politics

Of course, politics has already made its way into the project and has unsurprisingly left little to no closure on the future of 76 Place. In April 2023, former Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney announced an independent city-conducted study of the arena's impacts, with the findings still undisclosed today. Additionally, in November 2023, then Philadelphia Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker, when questioned about the arena in a news conference, stated that "The community matters there" and that "you can't have a project with that potential [...] and not hear the voices from people in our city." 

What Will Happen To Chinatown If The Arena Is Constructed?

Considering the numerous perspectives surrounding the arena's construction, the future impacts of the project's construction, while still widely disputed, all commonly imply the following two effects:

First, Chinatown's cultural landscape being altered by the arena is inevitable. Even though the arena is technically not situated in the official Chinatown area, many Chinese-owned businesses still operate across the street from the proposed site, and a massive sports arena right next to Chinatown will obviously change the neighborhood's role in symbolizing Philadelphia’s Chinese heritage. Second, a shift in community demographics will occur if the arena is constructed due to the influx of sports fans, the possibilities of gentrification, and the fact that no designated housing for Chinatown residents is being built. The arena’s construction will undoubtedly bring a rapid increase in foot traffic, thus making the neighborhood significantly busier than before–especially on game days. However, this increase in foot traffic and shift in primary demographics has no guaranteed benefit to Chinatown’s businesses, especially regarding rent prices, property tax, and the overall cost of living. 

So What?

Ultimately, when we look at this project as a whole, a choice between economic development and community identity forms the roots of the arena's controversy. While advocates project numerous city-wide economic benefits, we must also consider the symbolicness and cultural preservation of Chinatown–especially for the Philadelphian Chinese-Americans who have faced decades of marginalization since their initial settlement in the city. When looking at the proposed construction of 76 Place, it is essential to recognize that the project isn't just about a flashy new arena for an iconic major league basketball team but that the project, to many Chinese Americans across the country, represents yet another systemic dismissal of Chinese-American heritage, belonging, and preservation that only adds to their long list of historic marginalization.

Bibliography

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“Home - 76 Place at Market East.” 76 Place at Market East, 4 Dec. 2023, 76place.com.

Lo, Jasen, and Massarah Mikati. “150 Years of Development, Displacement, and Resilience in Philly’s Chinatown.” https://www.inquirer.com, 28 Nov. 2023, www.inquirer.com/history/inq2/chinatown-history-timeline-development-arena-20231128.html.

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