Philadelphia City Council, yesterday, May 29, moved forward legislation that would create a cabinet-level department combining the functions of several bodies including the Planning Commission, Historical Commission, Housing Authority, Art Commission, and Zoning Board of Adjustment. 
The idea is to make the city more attractive to developers.
Good luck with that.
The elephant being ignored is the kickbacks and featherbedding that vastly over-inflate labor cost.
It can be fairly summed up as corruption and it is a type of corruption intrinsic to Democrat-controlled communities.
Corruption exists in Republican controlled counties, however, it is exponentially less than Philly (or any historic D ones). Partly, this is due to less centralization. It is easier for a community of 15,000 to watch the activities of their zoning boards and commissioners and mobilize opposition to wrong-doing than in one of 1.5 million.
It is also due, however, to the nature of the constituents of the Rs. The Republican rank and file tend to be better educated — especially on economic matters — than the Democrats and less susceptible to unfulfillable promises of “free” lunches (or health care or phones).
Further, Republicans are far less likely to look at their political party as their religion. Democrats seem to identify the D with virtue and that being one makes them somehow a “good person”. Republicans look at their political affiliation as more of a means to an end and their primary motivation — at least for the rank and file — is not to milk the public cow but to protect themselves from the Ds.
Sociopaths are disproportionately attracted to politics and the GOP is not immune to this, but unlike Democrats, the Republican constituency usually gets this.