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Date:                   Jan. 25, 2007

Location:             University of Pennsylvania

Moderators:       Erika Kitzmiller and Jacob Fisher

 

Participants in each group were first asked to describe one hope or one fear as the city enters its election year.  Then each group did an exercise that asked participants to imagine they were giving a good friend’s family advice on whether to move to Philadelphia.

  • What would be the pros and cons of that move?
  • What forces and factors underlie those pros and cons?
  • What steps could the city and region take to strengthen those pros or weaken those cons?

For a full description of the exercise, see http://go.philly.com/friendsdilemma

Moderators' Report:  

What were the group's most striking hopes/fears?

 

HOPES:

  • One international student hoped that Philadelphia would become more welcoming to diverse groups of people.
  • One participant hoped that the city would get better at promoting the "magic of Philadelphia."
  • Another feared that candidates for mayor would pander to people’s fears instead of addressing real issues.
  • Finally, one hoped that Philadelphia would become a city for everyone and "return to its past glory."

What "pros" emerged as most important?

1. Public transit (It can get you anywhere at all hours of the day.) 

2. Cultural activities.

3. Housing stock has "good bones" and potential.

4. Local universities support public education.

5. Green space.

 

What "cons" emerged as most important?

1. Public transit (Route maps are hard to come by, there are no schedules, and its impossible to find places to buy tokens.)

2. Crime – "Intimidation of urban living."   

3. Education system.

4. Public spaces are not easy to access.

   

Let's look at the pros and cons in detail:

 

1. Pro: Cultural activities

Why is this pro important?

  • Philadelphia offers many opportunities for students to attend arts events, such as plays and concerts. The Mural Arts Program, Philadelphia Film Festival and great restaurants make the city a vibrant place to be.
  • Neighborhood-based festival, such as Penn’s Landing and Odunde, are a great way to get to know different parts of the city. 

What forces or factors underlie it?

     Many activities are free. For students there are various discounts to museums and orchestra.

  

2. Pro: Transportation 

Why is this pro important?

     You can get anywhere in the city.

 

What forces or factors underlie it?

  • "Night Owl" buses get you where you want to go at night and come every 15 minutes.

  • Transit system has "good bones." It was design to serve everyone. It ties the city and the region together and expands people's capability and access to opportunity.  

What action steps could weaken it? What actors should do them?
     See "transportation" as a con.

3. Pro: Housing stock

Why is this pro important?

     You can buy a good house, "built by craftspeople." Even old house that have been neglected have tremendous potential for rebirth.  

 

What forces or factors underlie it?

     History and legacy of Philadelphia as an important industrial and cultural center.

4. Pro: Green space
Why is this pro important? 
     Public places for recreation and gathering are important to a vibrant city. Open space contributes to the overall quality of life in the city.  

What forces or factors underlie it?

     People use and respect green space, e.g. Clark Park, Schuylkill River Trail, Rittenhouse Square. Fairmount Park is the largest urban park system.

Now, the cons ...

1. Con: Intimidation of urban living; crime

Why is this con important?

National press about murder rate in Philadelphia creates a perception of crime that may deter potential new residents.

Petty crime and harassment makes the city an unwelcoming place, particularly for foreign nationals. An international student felt that her cohort of friends was subject to a higher number of incidents – robbery, random assaults, and harassment (including spitting). Foreign students might also be less likely to report incidents to police.

What forces or factors underlie it?

  • Misunderstanding or fear. Many incidents perpetrated by young teens "acting out."

  • Other factors cited included lack of pedestrians and inadequate street lighting on certain streets.

What action steps could weaken it? What actors should do them?

  • Stores should have longer hours. Corridors frequented by pedestrians should have better lighting.

  • City should provide stats about the types and locations of crimes: What is random crime vs. what is not.

  • People need to be better neighbors. Need "eyes on the street," e.g. in Manyunk, one participant felt comfortable walking her dog in the middle of the night.

  • Need more stories on positive steps the Police Department is making toward reducing crime. All news stories are negative.

  • Police need to become role models. Example: Boise, ID, where police officers assigned to every high school. In addition to public safety, cops play a role in the school administration, e.g. basketball coach.

  • Need to encourage people – particularly immigrants and foreign students – to report crimes. This will give police a better understanding of patterns of crime.

2. Con: Education 

Why is this con important?

     One participant had spent time working in city jails. Across the board, the inmate population has been failed by the city school system. Without adequate education, people are more likely to fall into criminal activity.

 

What forces or factors underlie it?

     The schools are not doing an adequate job of serving kids with behavioral and learning problems. Schools are overly focused on discipline, rather than education.

 

What action steps could weaken it? What actors should do them?

     Schools need to change response to children with learning disabilities. School buildings and staff should serve the entire community after school hours. School = community activity center.

 

3. Con: Public transportation 

Why is this con important?

  • Public transportation is a type of public space – a place where people interact and build community. SEPTA fails as a public space, because of quiet, dark (sometimes intimidating) spaces on its transit line. "The trolleys serve their purpose of getting you there, but fail as public space."
  • Unlike other cities, e.g. New York where everyone rides the subway, there are wealth and class lines between those who ride SEPTA and those who don’t.

What forces or factors underlie it?

  • Expectations for SEPTA are pretty low.
  • Poor design of subway system. Other problems include: Impossibility of finding a place to buy tokens and lack of route maps and timetables. Subway lines are limited in the city. And, system is overly dependent on state funding. "If token prices go up much more it might make more sense to drive or take a cab."

What action steps could weaken it? What actors should do them?

  • Put working token machines in convenient places, e.g. Penn Bookstore.
  • Provide transit maps for more than just Center City stops.
  • Keep 24-hour service on as many lines as possible.
  • Better marketing is needed for SEPTA to become a service that serves "all classes of people." Perhaps the environmental benefits of riding transit instead of driving should be highlighted.
  • There should be better offers for students. Should provide weekend passes – technology exists to do so.
  • Should implement something like New York’s Metrocard.