S2 E10: The "Three Really, Really, REALLY Big Ideas for Philadelphia" Episode with Nia Meeks

Summary: Nia Meeks, a communications strategist in Philadelphia, is a frequent panelist on Inside Story (Sundays at 11:30am on 6abc). She always arrives with well-informed ideas about the issues facing Philadelphia and the surrounding region. So I thought it would be enlightening (and also entertaining) to ask her to take part in this special True Philadelphia Podcast episode. Both of us came up with three HUGE ideas, without worry about feasibility or cost, that we think should happen now or in the near future. We came up with some really good ones - and maybe some really impossible ones. Recorded at the Center City offices of Greenberg Traurig, LLP on Monday, October 28, 2019. 2:05 Nia introduces herself, 3:17 We explain the idea behind this podcast, 5:39 We flip a coin to see who goes first, 5:59 I try again SPOILERS REVEALED BELOW THIS LINE - DO NOT READ IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE SURPRISED! 6:10 Matt's 1st idea - Eliminate political parties in Philadelphia 13:30 Nia's 1st idea - Add a service year for every public high school student in Philadelphia, whether it be carried out during high school or right after graduation 19:58 Matt's 2nd idea - Embark on Philadelphia's "Big Dig" in three phases: build two upper decks to the Schuylkill Expressway to carry four additional lanes of traffic and a solar-powered mass transit line; use the Blue Route, I-295 and bridges over the Delaware River to create Philadelphia's official Beltway (just like in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore); and split domestic and international flights at Philadelphia International Airport to two sites (one remains at the existing airport and another relocates to either South Jersey, the Lehigh Valley or Delaware) 26:12 Nia's 2nd idea - Develop different "creative corridors" in every single Philadelphia neighborhood featuring the arts, animation, architecture, filmmaking, fashion, tech, music and with a public/private partnership 32:40 Matt's 3rd idea - With inspiration from comedian Chris Rock, tax bullets so that they are ridiculously expensive but exempt the tax for anyone using them at a gun range 39:36 Nia's 3rd idea - A "Park in a Truck" program where trucks will dump topsoil in empty city lots to create green spaces, whether they are made to be parks, gardens, planters or recreational spots.