Center City Philadelphia streets will soon be adorned in various places with new LinkPHL kiosks, which are produced/installed by the same maker as the successful LinkNYC kiosks that have sprung up all over New York in the past few years. Here’s a rendering of a LinkPHL kiosk on North 3rd Street in Old City near Cafe Ole:
I frequented Cafe Ole when I lived in Old City, and that part of 3rd Street tends to be lovely and quiet-ish except when traffic is heavy. LinkPHL will be a good addition to the public space even in a neighborhood like Old City, I think. And here’s a better rendering of these kiosks up close:
The Philadelphia Art Commision approved a plan to bring Link kiosks to the city of Philadelphia on Wednesday. The kiosks — roughly the size and shape of the “you are here” type maps common in shopping malls — will feature two large digital ad displays.
In coordination with the city’s Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems (OTIS), Intersection, an outdoor advertising firm, will build 100 of the free Wi-Fi providing Link kiosks along the city’s commercial corridors. Eighty kiosks will go in Center City and University City, and 20 will be placed elsewhere, at the discretion of the city. In addition to the ads and Wi-Fi, the Links will feature USB-charging ports and affixed tablets for access to a limited suite of web-based apps, including local maps.
As much as some are upset about these due to the new presence of advertising on city streets, I think overall these are a positive thing. They fill the void left by the disappearance of public telephone booths in an interesting way.