CITY 217: Research Methods

A Publication of Temple University’s Multimedia Urban Reporting Lab

Information about current and historical neighborhood names.

The Urban Archives was established in 1967 to document the social, economic, and physical development of the Philadelphia area from the mid-19th century to the present. The Archives functions as a repository for organizational records and related materials, and as a research facility for those interested in urban studies. The Archives collections are particularly strong in areas involving social service organizations, unions, housing development, community organizations, and contain many records from organizations involved with African Americans, education, and crime. The Archives also contains the photo archives of the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Evening Bulletin. A large number of images are available through an online catalogue, Digital Diamond.

Limited reference service is provided by the Archives staff. Please check ahead before visiting.

Report and interactive map describing neighborhood changes based on indices of crime, household income, population, poverty and home prices.

Provides information from the U.S. Census and several city agencies on a variety of topics, including housing, population, land use, utilities, and more. Census information is from 2000; other city information is more recent. A project of the Cartographic Modeling Lab at the University of Pennsylvania.

This site contains thousands of old maps, property atlases, city directories, industrial site surveys, and other items documenting the history and development of the city from the 1600s through today.

The City of Philadelphia provides a very rich variety of data from city agencies through these maps. Includes licensing data for business, zoning information, service areas, crime, etc.

OpenDataPhilly includes both municipal and non-municipal data and enables users to search for and locate data sets based on keyword and category searches. For each data set, application, or API, we’ve included accompanying information about the origins, update frequency, and other specifics of the data. The record for each data source also includes links for downloading the data or accessing the application or API.

The Philadelphia Research Initiative provides timely, impartial research and analysis that help Philadelphia’s citizens and leaders understand and address key issues facing the city.

Data from 2010 about income, residential and racial segregation in the city is available for download.

MPIP, from Temple University, uses a set of regional indicators to measure conditions and track changes in communities across the greater Philadelphia region. The site includes MetroPhilaMapper, an online interactive mapping and analysis application that enables users to access and investigate data on regional socio-economic indicators.

FREE REGISTRATION REQUIRED FOR SEARCHING. Brings together the collections, data, images and professional expertise of The Athenaeum of Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania Architectural Archives, the Philadelphia Historical Commission, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, and several local cultural institutions, enabling free access to information on the built environment of the five-county Philadelphia area.

Get the history of permits, licenses, and inspections at any address, research real estate information including property values, zoning, and document archives, get easy access to a variety of hard-to-find City resources, explore historical imagery and maps

Real estate website with news stories and calculations of gentrification.

This site contains thousands of old maps, property atlases, city directories, industrial site surveys, and other items documenting the history and development of the city from the 1600s through today.

MPIP, from Temple University, uses a set of regional indicators to measure conditions and track changes in communities across the greater Philadelphia region. The site includes MetroPhilaMapper, an online interactive mapping and analysis application that enables users to access and investigate data on regional socio-economic indicators.

Provides information from the U.S. Census and several city agencies on a variety of topics, including housing, population, land use, utilities, and more. Census information is from 2000; other city information is more recent. A project of the Cartographic Modeling Lab at the University of Pennsylvania.

Information about current and historical neighborhood names.

A Publication of Temple University’s Multimedia Urban Reporting Lab