Date: Jan. 3, 2007
Location: Norris Square Presbyterian Church
Citizens attending: 15
Moderator: Stacie Molnar-Main and Jose Morales
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 Jose Morales
What were the group's most striking hopes/fears?
HOPES:
-
Citizens will come together and be heard.
-
There will be more city (government) jobs for Latinos.
-
New mayor will look to youth for leadership.
-
The educational system will be improved through a focus on neighborhood schools.
-
Intentional efforts at economic development will focus in Norris Square.
-
People will say "Philadelphia is a great city!"
-
Safer streets
FEARS:
-
Divide between the African American and Latino community will continue.
What "pros" emerged as most important?
1. Community-improvement initiatives
2. Transportation
What "cons" emerged as most important?
1. Quality-of-life issues
2. Public schools
Let's look at the cons in detail:
1. Pro: Community-improvement initiatives
Why is this pro important?
Large scale, organized community improvement initiatives are having a positive effect on surrounding neighborhoods; however gentrification is pushing some long-time residents out of their homes (high prices).
What forces or factors underlie it?
-
Large development companies
-
Influential businesses/organizations (i.e., Temple)
-
Community-development organizations
What action steps could weaken it? What actors should do them?
Not discussed.
2. Pro: Transportation
Why is this pro important?
High-quality transportation is an important feature of a livable city. Transportation systems provide access to all parts of the city. Philadelphia has a diverse public-transportation system and good roadway access. However, some SEPTA vehicles are unclean and unsafe. Some neighborhoods have better service than others. Bus transportation is unreliable ("You can’t base your schedule on it.") Also, Philadelphia is not bike friendly.
What forces or factors underlie it?
-
Limited public funding
-
Unfair representation for Philly on SEPTA board
-
SEPTA funding/administration is confusing, so citizens cannot advocate effectively for change.
-
Lack of safety officers.
-
Inadequate education for bikers and drivers.
What action steps could strengthen it? What actors should do them?
-
Increase Philadelphia’s representation on SEPTA board. (Base representation on ridership.)
-
Subsidize more routes.
-
Create more/improve opportunities for high school students to receive free/affordable tokens.
-
Increase supervision/security on some public-transportation routes.
-
Publicize how SEPTA is administered, so citizens are informed.
-
Initiate driver/biker education program
-
Increase commercial development at major SEPTA stations.
-
Provide recycling receptacles at SEPTA stops.
Now, the cons ...
1. Con: Public schools
Why is this con important?
The quality of schools varies dramatically from neighborhood to neighborhood, and many parents do not feel comfortable sending their children outside of the neighborhood to school. In addition, public transportation for high school students is costly and inhibits some from attending quality schools.
What forces or factors underlie it?
-
Funding system
-
Inequality of resources within city.
-
Inexperienced teachers and high teacher turnover.
-
Decision-makers are not accountable to communities (govt. vs. local control).
-
Violence/discipline.
-
Schools are inaccessible to parents. ("They keep us out so we don’t see how out of control things are.")
-
Too bureaucratic.
-
It is difficult for parents and community groups to access the school to establish partnerships.
-
Security guards are apathetic when professional staff is not looking.
-
Lack of college-prep and technical programs in neighborhood high schools.
What action steps could weaken it? What actors should do them?
-
Create a friendlier atmosphere in schools for parents and community groups.
-
Provide "developmental programs" for parents to develop needed skills (academic, job, and parenting).
-
Improve communication strategies, with a focus on engaging parents who are "insiders" to the school or "highly educated."
-
Develop systems that make schools accountable to local communities (i.e., local school boards)
-
Get parents involved in community civic-engagement activities, as a pathway to school involvement.
-
Make effective engagement with parents an institutional focus. Top-level school officials should expect principals to work effectively with (majority of) parents.
2. Con: Quality of life issues
Why is this con important?
Issues like trash, abandoned cars, and quality of policing affect the quality of life in neighborhoods. Neighborhoods that offer a high quality of life attract investment, including home ownership.
What forces or factors underlie it?
-
Quality of policing
-
Inconsistent enforcement of laws
-
Residents that don’t take responsibility for their street/neighborhood (apathy).
-
Percentage of rental units in neighborhood
-
Elected leadership that doesn’t care
-
Availability of trash cans
-
Lack of police funding
What action steps could weaken it? What actors should do them?
-
Government and citizens should address small issues (to set a positive tone) and prevent escalation of problems.
-
Educate the community about these issues and what they citizens can do.
-
New mayor should reach out to youth in the community and involve them in community-improvement effort
-
Increase undercover gun/drug investigations.
-
Address state gun laws.