The delayed $100 million plan to revitalize Philadelphia's Avenue of the Arts is moving ahead in the fall.

Why it matters: The major overhaul aims to make a concrete-dominated stretch of South Broad Street more walkable, safe for pedestrians and green.

State of play: The AveArts 2.0 project's first phase, covering the block in front of the Kimmel Center, is expected to start in September, Carl Dranoff, Avenue of the Arts Inc. board member and real estate developer, tells Axios.

• The original groundbreaking had been slated for April, but it was pushed back due to design work and permitting delays.
• Once completed, the project will remake 10 blocks along the roadway from City Hall to Washington Avenue.

The big picture: New skyscrapers, restaurants, supermarkets and investments have been fueling a development boom along the roadway in recent years.

• Plus: South Broad Street is Philly's centerpiece — the site of Super Bowl celebrations, Mummers parades and the city's arts hub.

Between the lines: Avenue of the Arts Inc., the nonprofit behind the project, had to split the planned improvements for the block between Pine and Spruce streets into two parts due to Philly's big 2026 celebrations, which include hosting World Cup matches.

• Each phase will cost approximately $4 million.

Phase 1: Install a new, raised median on the block filled with trees, plants and other greenery, as well as space for public art.

• The new median will be tall enough to discourage pedestrians from crossing the busy roadway and to prevent people from using it as a photo backdrop (looking at you, newly engaged couples!).
• The improvements are expected to wrap up in spring 2026.

Phase 2: Remake the Kimmel Center block's sidewalks by adding greenery, planters, seating and artwork while updating lighting and signage.

• These improvements will take over portions of South Broad Street's right lanes in both directions, which are currently being used for parking and shoulders.
• Expected start date: fall 2026.

What they're saying: "That's where we're headed for South Broad Street — we're going to be a symbol of the revitalization of Philadelphia," Dranoff said.

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Penn Medicine's hospitals took the crown for the best hospitals in the Philadelphia region and state in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings.

The big picture: The West Philadelphia-based health system maintains the prestigious honor for another year running despite not participating in the rankings process.

Driving the news: UPenn hospitals and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center — lumped together as one system in the rankings — were also the only Pennsylvania hospital named to the outlet's nationwide honor roll list.

• The rankings were unveiled today.

Penn Medicine and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center were ranked in the top 20 for several specialties, including cancer, geriatrics, and neurology and neurosurgery.

Flashback: In 2023, the University of Pennsylvania Health System stopped actively participating in the outlet's best hospitals rankings.

• At the time, Penn Health System's CEO, Kevin Mahoney, said the rankings "don't account for all of the elements essential to improving patient outcomes," like research, per a news release.

The fine print: The U.S. News rankings compared more than 4,400 hospitals by patient outcomes across several specialties and procedures using data from the federal government, like Medicare, and third parties, including medical specialists.

See where other area hospitals rank

TV and radio stations around Philly and in Pennsylvania at large may feel the pinch after Congress rescinded $1.1 billion in federal funding, per new data obtained by Axios.

Why it matters: Public media outlets serve essential community newsgathering and emergency roles, but the Trump administration and others on the right have long accused them of left-leaning bias.

The big picture: Some outlets stand to lose sizable shares of their overall budgets, per the data.

State of play: Philadelphia's WRTI, which has more than 300,000 weekly listeners, has in the past received 6% of its $5.6 million budget from federal funding — the highest known share among city-based outlets, per the data.

• Exact figures were unavailable for WHYY, which serves more than 3 million households in the Philly region. The outlet received about $3.8 million in federal funding in 2024.

PBS 39, Lehigh Valley's public TV station, could be the state's hardest-hit outlet: Federal funds account for more than 22% of its overall budget.

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🍧 Local faves HipCityVeg and Bassetts Ice Cream are collab-ing on a new plant-based frozen treats menu.

• They're offering free samples today from 11am-1pm at their pop-up outside HipCityVeg's Rittenhouse location.

🙋‍♀️ The Fashion District will be the site of Philly's World Cup 2026 Volunteer Center. The site will serve as a recruitment and training location, and space for volunteers to connect. Register to volunteer on FIFA's website.

🧬 Adaptimmune Therapeutics, located in South Philly's Navy Yard, is selling a handful of its cell therapy technologies and plans to cut its workforce by nearly two-thirds. (Fierce Biotech)

👋 Isaac here, back with the answer to yesterday's "Where's Isaac?" clue.

Yes, but: Before I make the big reveal, I want to thank loyal readers for dutifully competing.

• Every time we run this franchise, our inbox is flooded with dozens of buoyant responses — a big deal for a small shop still looking to grow our presence and engagement.

👉 The answer: Congrats to Rob T., who took six minutes to correctly ID Bowman Hill's Tower in Washington Crossing Historic Park.

The bottom line: The GF and I are making a habit of doing these little weekend day trips to places we haven't been within 25 miles of our casita.

• HMU with suggestions, or your pics and clues for a reader-driven "Where is?"