Other people have excavated the history of the area, and made the case convincingly, so this post is simply intended as a minor addendum to bolster and keep this worthwhile dream alive:

The stretch of Cedar Ave. between 24th st. and Franklin Ave. is the most garbage-strewn place I have ever seen. Most common are shards of silvery plastic and other car parts,

though the trash ranges from downed light-posts that stay for months–

–to the odd crushed bike helmet–

–to a piece of light-rail upholstery–

–lying there like a scrap of transit carcass in an automotive hyena den.  I bring this up not simply to gripe about it, but because I think a) the composition of garbage in this area is forensic proof that it’s unpleasant and hostile and b) people vote with their garbage, and this is a landslide victory for “it sucks.”

It can’t be overstated how much closer Phillips would feel to Cedar-Riverside without this physical and psychological barrier. An unbroken linear corridor of actual/potential buildings connecting the two neighborhoods would go a long way toward correcting the mistakes of the past.