Instead, more than 1,500 people packed a meeting room at the Convention Center last night for a vision of the future of the Delaware River waterfront. What they saw prompted hearty applause and voiced hope for change.

Experts from the University of Pennsylvania presented the results of an ambitious, yearlong experiment to engage the public in envisioning the shape of the waterfront years from now. Thousands of people - including residents of waterfront communities, longshoremen, business representatives, and city planners - participated in 200 sessions over the course of a year.

Harris Steinberg, who led the process as head of Penn Praxis, part of Penn's School of Design, laid out the results before a standing-room-only audience that spilled into another auditorium.

At the start of his presentation, Steinberg said it was "trial, tribulation and - ultimately - triumph to get us where we are today."

The process almost stopped before it started because of the controversy arising from the state's decision to site two casinos on the waterfront. Only a compromise in May to create a plan without the casinos - as well as one with - allowed the entire effort to move forward.

The biggest applause of the night came after a one-minute animation showing an aerial view of the current hodgepodge of mostly barren industrial land morphing into open space, walkable streets, and a grid of blocks reaching down to the waterfront.

The biggest heckling came at the mere mention of casinos during an opening video.

Almost half the audience had participated in the Penn Praxis sessions. An overwhelming number of them liked what they saw.

"Marvelous," said Herbert Stahl, of North Philadelphia.

"This is something that should have been done a long time ago," said Dan Rhodes, of Fishtown. "You hope this will be a reality and not just a dream."

"If, 20 years from now, we have not implemented any of this, it'll break my heart," said Rob Marcolina, who lives in Northeast Philadelphia. He said the waterfront has "been a waste. We've hidden the river."

Less enthusiastic about the report was Daniel Gallagher, president of Local 1242 of the International Longshoremen's Association.

He said the vision plan - with its emphasis on open space and parklands - made the waterfront look like "a rain forest."

"All they want to do is build parks and bike paths," Gallagher said. "There was no mention of economic development."

City Councilman Frank DiCicco, who reached out to Penn Praxis to develop the riverfront plan, told the audience that the creation of this community vision was a highlight of his career.

"I wanted it to be the people of the city to put this vision forward," DiCicco said.

Mayor Street, who signed an executive order a year ago to undertake the plan, said, "The thing that should distinguish this from any other studies on the waterfront is you."

Street noted that nothing like this had ever been attempted in Philadelphia.

"This is a collection of thoughts of the whole community of people who care about the waterfront," the mayor said. "That's the thing that gives this report legs."

The study was an ambitious effort to involve as many riverfront stakeholders as possible in the planning process.

Residents from 15 neighborhood associations participated in an advisory group, along with representatives from the port community, chambers of commerce, and business districts.

All meetings were open, and over the course of the year, they drew thousands.

The William Penn Foundation supported the effort with a $1.6 million grant.

The seven-mile stretch of the Delaware, which covers more than 1,100 acres, is a jumble of big-box stores; barren industrial land; a municipal parking lot; the Penn's Landing park; and the first of several proposed gated, luxury residential developments.

A year ago, the state's casino gaming board decided to locate two slots parlors on the riverfront, despite protests from local residents. There are 20 other projects on the drawing board, including many high-rise condominium buildings.

Even before the vision plan was released last night, its ideas were being attacked by a group of developers, led by lawyer Michael Sklaroff. They argue that the vision for the waterfront didn't consider the "economic realities" of building on the river.

A developer at last night's session, Bart Blatstein, said, "Planning, which is by nature controversial, is not the enemy. The enemy is lack of planning."

Blatstein, who has many projects in Northern Liberties, called the report "a great start" but added that moving forward, the process must become "a collaboration that includes property owners" along the river.

Plan's Highlights

Key PennPraxis recommendations for the waterfront include:

Building 11 new or improved parks.

Creating a riverfront bike trail.

Extending the city street grid to now-industrial sites.

Narrowing Delaware Avenue to create a pedestrian-friendly boulevard.

Changing zoning to discourage superblock structures and to require traditional urban buildings.