Northwest Philadelphia
Though my previous written comments have focused on the state as a whole, this comment will focus on my personal experience and why I believe the House districts in Northwest Philadelphia should be redrawn. As someone who lives in Mount Airy and works in Chestnut Hill, I can attest to the fact that these neighborhoods form a single community of interest, and belong in a single House district, currently the 200th. In fact, I moved to Mount Airy specifically to be closer to my place of work, as my previous residence in East Falls was more disconnected from Chestnut Hill by the road and transit networks. Unfortunately, the LRC's map seems to prioritize ward boundaries over the city's actual geography, and splits up important communities of interest in the process. Chestnut Hill and Mount Airy are connected by the commercial corridor of Germantown Avenue, the major thoroughfare of Stenton Avenue, and the Chestnut Hill East and Chestnut Hill West regional rail lines. In addition to working in Chestnut Hill I regularly visit parks and order from restaurants in both neighborhoods. The boundary between the Wards 9 and 22 that was used in the LRC's map as the border between the 194th and 200th districts does not figure into my daily life; in fact, it cuts right through the heart of Mount Airy. As an illustration of this, whenever I pick up food from my favorite Indian restaurant, I park my car in the 22nd Ward, cross Germantown Avenue into the 9th Ward, and pass by my State Representative's office next door. This is a small anecdote but I think it demonstrates that this ward boundary is not a place of division between different communities, but rather a place of gathering for a single community. The relevant boundary in this part of Philadelphia is the Wissahickon Gorge, and this is what should be used to draw House districts. The lack of road connectivity across the Wissahickon makes the neighborhoods on either side truly distinct communities. Recognizing this, the City of Philadelphia uses the Wissahickon as the dividing line between its Lower Northwest and Upper Northwest planning districts. Because the portion of Northwest Philadelphia between the Wissahickon and the Schuylkill does not have enough population, that district either has to extend into Montgomery County or cross the Wissahickon somewhere. However, if it is desired to keep that district entirely within Philadelphia, the crossing of the Wissahickon should occur between Manayunk and East Falls, rather than between Roxborough and Mount Airy/Chestnut Hill. A quick look at SEPTA's transit map (https://www.septa.org/maps/region/pdf/septa-phila-transit-street-map.pdf) makes clear why this is the case. Manayunk and East Falls are connected by Ridge and Henry Avenues, major roads that carry a combined 4 bus routes. Both neighborhoods are also served by the Manayunk-Norristown regional rail line. By contrast, Roxborugh is connected to the Upper Northwest by Bells Mill Road and Walnut Lane, two narrower roads with 1 bus route between them, and no rail lines. These changes to the map can be accomplished by expanding the 190th district into Nicetown, and the 198th district into West Oak Lane, without affecting any other districts. As someone who has lived in both East Falls and Mount Airy and works in Chestnut Hill, I believe that this would better reflect the interests of Northwest Philadelphia.