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Date:                   Jan. 30, 2007

Location:             Frankford Hospital

Citizens attending: 22

Moderator: Stacie Molnar-Main and Justin DeBerardinis

 

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:

By Stacie Molnar-Main and Justin DeBerardinis

 

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

 

HOPES:

  • for a city that I (and my family) can stay in.

  • for a city that provides good public schools for all.

  • for a city that has an open, transparent government.

  • Frankford realizes its potential.

  • Real estate taxes remain affordable.

  • for a city free of litter.

  • for a city that draws people in.

  • safety for seniors.

  • a safer city.

  • downtown excitement/activities to seep into neighborhoods.

  • Frankford gets recognition as a historically significant neighborhood.

  • Fairmount Park is protected.

What "pros" emerged as most important?

1. Community feeling / Quality of life 

2. Higher education 

 

What "cons" emerged as most important?

1. Crime and violence

2. Public schools 

3. Homelessness 

 

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

 

1. Pro: Community feeling / Quality of life

Why is this pro important?

     Diversity of city and neighborly attitude of Philadelphians are unique and important qualities that keep people in the city. Many neighborhoods have long-term residents that contribute to community stability. Neighbors "watch each others’ backs." "Philadelphia has a small town feeling."

     (A question was raised about whether recent immigrants experience the same "feeling" from neighbors.)

 

What forces or factors underlie it?

  • Neighborhood associations and civic groups

  • Neighborhood events

  • Clean and safe neighborhoods

  • Diversity

  • History of city and neighborhoods

  • Connections within and across communities

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

  • Individuals should promote more participation in civic groups through letter-writing campaigns to neighbors and by encouraging youth involvement in neighborhood groups.
  • Neighborhoods should organize and host more activities, events and festivals. Civic groups should provide more education to residents on resources and services available in the community. Investments should be made to "block watch" programs.
  • The government should provide more funding for CLIPs, town-watch programs, L&I (promote demolition and rebuilding), Operation Integrate, and Community Relations Officer program.

2. Pro: Higher education

Why is this pro important?

     Higher education opportunities bring people to Philadelphia to live, work and spend money. There is a concern, however, that many of these people do not stay in Philadelphia (brain drain). Also some people noted that schools are not effective in bridging K-12 to higher ed. for students. 

 

What forces or factors underlie it?

  • Abundance of institutions

  • Young population

  • Lack of incentives to keep young graduates

  • Not enough effective programs that get Philadelphia kids into local higher eds.

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

  • Build business and job opportunities
  • Link businesses and education bases. Expand work-study programs.
  • Provide incentives/support for high school students to move into local higher eds.
  • Utilize community-based organizations to link high school students to higher ed. opportunities (e.g., promote education and higher ed through library system and mentoring organizations).
  • Provide work-study programs for city youth, extending from high school to college.
  • Reduce high school dropout rate.

Now the cons ...

1. Con: Public education 

Why is this con important?

     These students are the future of our city. We will need to depend on them in the future.

 

What forces or factors underlie it?

  • Poverty and hunger

  • Youth culture of violence

  • Resource accessibility

  • Uneven distribution of resources from school to school (e.g. Central alumni base enriches the school)

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

  • Focus on parental participation, through expanding and enriching home-school associations.
  • Provide more opportunities for people to volunteer in the schools as tutors, NTA, etc.
  • Address the uneven distribution of resources from school to school.
  • Create work opportunities in the school or with business partners. These should encourage achievement.
  • Expand alumni and business sponsorship/support opportunities.

2. Con: Homelessness

Why is this con important?

     Homeless people on the streets deter people from moving into the city. 

      

What forces or factors underlie it?

  • Mental illness, addiction

  • Lack of health care

  • Americans not taking responsibility for veterans

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

  • Advocate for better government-funded health care for veterans and uninsured. Form advocacy groups, write letters to government representatives, and circulate petitions.

  • Create and improve facilities to house homeless residents (affordable housing and rooms). Change zoning laws that prevent communities from addressing this problem. 

3. Con: Crime and drugs 

Why is this con important?

     Fear of crime is a powerful deterrent to community investment. Many people (e.g. women and elderly, especially) feel afraid to leave their homes at night or to walk down certain streets.

 

What forces or factors underlie it?

  • Drug trade

  • Availability of guns

  • State law preventing gun regulation

  • Halfway houses located in residential communities

  • Diminished civic infrastructure in some neighborhoods 

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

  • Government (or local businesses?) could provide more support to civic groups. Increased funding would improve the ability of civic associations to host neighborhood-building events. Access to neighborhood mailing lists would allow civic association leaders to contact individuals.
  • Improve town-watch programs through the use of technology.
  • Plan neighborhood activities to get people out of their houses.
  • Get more police on the streets.