Not too long ago, after a long day of meetings with folks across the city, I retired to one of Philly’s great restaurant spots, Vernick Food & Drink right off Rittenhouse Square, to get some dinner and a glass of wine. Sitting at the bar by myself, I noticed that I was surrounded by much younger patrons than I typically see when I am out at night in New York, or Los Angeles or Toronto. When the bartender came to take my order, I wanted to ask him why. (If there’s anything I’ve learned in more than three decades studying urban development, there’s no better way to take the pulse of a city than to ask a bartender, waitstaff, cabbie, or ride-share driver.) “This is amazing,” I said, “there are so more young people here than I see when I’m out with my wife in New York City.” He replied in the oh-so-cool bartender way: “Bro, that’s easy. It’s affordable; you can still actually afford to live here.”