Kravco, which manages Deptford Mall, Black Horse Pike Shopping Center and the King of Prussia (Pa.) Mall, considered Camden more seriously when plans for a light rail system linking Trenton and Camden and the aerial tram began to take shape. More than a transit system, the $27 million tram is supposed to link the two cities into one destination, a concept Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell labels: "Two cities, one Waterfront."

Planners expect the light rail system, a $605 million project to be completed in 2002, to open Camden's Waterfront to work and play like a combination lock. While this may be overstated, NJ Transit hopes the rocky times for this piece of infrastructure are over and the project will move forward.

Also in the works is the construction of a $5 million attraction at the Aquarium that would simulate an underwater experience in a submarine. And one of the city's landmarks, the Nipper Building, built by the former RCA Corp, is slated for renovation and a new tenant: researchers from Rutgers Cook College, who will study and market nutriceutical products, herbs developed for medicinal purposes.

Also in the works is construction on a much-delayed $200 million redesign of Penn's Landing. The 14-year old Great Plaza will be razed mid-September to make way for the new project between Market and Walnut streets.

And from a commercial perspective, the Delaware River Port Authority plans to build a $75 million terminal in South Philadelphia for a fleet of high-speed ships that will move time-sensitive cargo to a sister port in Cherbourg, France.

FastShip has had many lives. Officials believe the project, now under new management, will revolutionize the freight industry and create 7,000 jobs in the region within the next three years.