Former Philadelphia Health Commissioner under Mayor John Street’s administration Dr. Walter Tsou is an advocate against the recently approved Sixer’s arena in the Market East corridor. Dr. Tsou weighs in on the legacy of Mayor Parker’s administration, SEPTA’s train station below the proposed arena, and how the construction will create dense air pollution for the city.  

Despite his fierce disapproval for the arena downtown, Tsou begins his interview clarifying that he would not be opposed to a venue that holds all sports teams for the city and brings union jobs for many of the city’s laborers. However, he thinks Mayor Parker is not considering the environmental implications.

“ [Parker is] not thinking about the environmental justice impact…to put it at this location is actually a serious problem. There are a lot of concerns we have from an environmental perspective,” said Tsou.

“We think the gridlock that will happen with cars idling, all the fumes that come up from that, the particulate matter, the volatile organic compounds that people are going to be breathing, and the dust from the construction that will be going on for many years in Center City will be adversely impacting the health of residents who live in the Center City area.” 

Tsou then proposed that with an arena, there must be a balance of public spaces such as restrooms, water fountains, and trash cans. Citing the agreed $60 million Community Benefits Agreement between the city and the Sixer’s, Tsou notes that the arena will not be open to the public on non-event days. He says this will wipe public spaces in its construction and limit access when it is fully constructed. 

“ We need to have a lot more public bathrooms, I think, in Center City. Frankly, it’s very easy to find bathrooms, but if you go to Europe, they’re much more common. I don’t know why we don’t integrate bathrooms as part of subway systems or public transportation systems to the same extent. I think that’s one of our problems.” 

For more information on Dr. Walter Tsou or the Sixer’s arena’s environmental impact, listen to the full interview on SoundCloud below.