Update: Connections 2050 Long-Range Plan Centers

Update: Connections 2050 Plan Centers at the heart of its vision for the region’s future, using them as a foundational framework to guide regional growth, development, and transportation investment in smart, efficient way to make the most of existing assets. By linking land use and transportation planning, Plan Centers help direct resources to where they can have the greatest impact, cost-effectively. These are locations of local government, essential services, economic activity, and community life. The core variables that define Centers are transit access and development density. See Appendix B of Update Connections 2050 for more information on Centers typologies (www.dvrpc.org/plan). The six Center categories are defined as follows: 1. Regional Core—The central business district of the region, encompassing Greater Center City Philadelphia, University City, and downtown Camden. Geography is determined by the highest level of existing density. 2. City Centers—Dense, mixed-use neighborhoods or urban core cities with strong transit access and walkable main streets. These serve as models for urban development. 3. Town Centers—Compact, mixed-use boroughs or census-designated places with existing or historical transit service and a walkable main street. These Centers represent ideal development in a regional (non-urban) context. 4. Suburban Centers—Areas with higher density than their surroundings or clusters of jobs and commercial activity, but limited or no direct transit access. These Centers often face a jobs-housing imbalance and are key locations for multimodal and quality-of-life investments. 5. TOD Opportunity Centers—Areas with access to regional rail or strong transit service that could evolve into Town Centers through Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) strategies. These strategies may include increasing density, improving walkability, and enhancing multimodal connections. 6. Village Centers—Moderate-density, mixed-use clusters typically located in rural or agricultural settings. They often feature an identifiable downtown or main street and are important nodes of local cultural and economic activity.【更新说明】《连通2050计划》将中心片区置于该区域未来愿景的核心位置，以此作为基础性框架，指导区域增长、开发与交通投资，以智能高效的方式最大化利用既有资产。通过衔接土地利用与交通规划，中心片区可将资源精准投向成本效益最优、影响最大化的区域。此类片区是地方政务、基础服务、经济活动与社区生活的核心承载地。界定中心片区的核心指标为交通可达性与开发密度。如需了解中心片区类型划分的更多细节，请参阅《更新版连通2050计划》附录B（访问网址：www.dvrpc.org/plan）。中心片区共分为六大类别，具体定义如下：1. 区域核心——本区域的中央商务区，涵盖费城大中心城、大学城与卡姆登市中心，其地理范围以现有最高开发密度划定。2. 城市中心——拥有高开发密度、混合用途的街区或城市核心城区，具备优质交通可达性与适宜步行的主街，可作为城市开发的示范样板。3. 城镇中心——紧凑布局、混合用途的行政区或普查划定居民点，现有或历史上拥有公共交通服务，且配有适宜步行的主街。此类片区代表了区域（非城市）语境下的理想开发模式。4. 郊区中心——开发密度高于周边区域，或集聚大量就业与商业活动的区域，但直接交通可达性有限甚至缺失。此类片区往往面临职住失衡问题，是多模式交通与生活品质提升投资的关键节点。5. 公交导向开发潜力中心——可接入区域铁路或拥有优质公共交通服务的区域，可通过公交导向开发（Transit-Oriented Development，TOD）策略升级为城镇中心。此类策略包括提升开发密度、优化步行环境与完善多模式交通衔接。6. 乡村中心——开发密度适中、混合用途的集聚片区，通常位于乡村或农业区域。此类片区往往拥有辨识度较高的镇区或主街，是本地文化与经济活动的重要节点。