Imagine Philadelphia

This evening the Philadelphia City Planning Commission hosted its seventh "Imagine Philadelphia" meeting for Center City residents. The series, championed by the PCPC and City Hall which engages citizens in the local planning process, aligns with an on-going effort to build trust in local government. An effort that can hopefully scuttle the city's reputation of corruption and nepotism.

Like the title says, the meeting was a forum for people to come together and dream big for a city that's been running low on hope. The conversation started out with "safe," conventional suggestions to break the ice. (fix SEPTA, fix schools) Shortly thereafter, the discourse crescendoed to a fever-pitch of enthusiasm; everyone had plenty to say. (I pitched my dream for a Maglev between NYC and Philly)

Now, I know what you're thinking. Philadelphia needs a lot more than imagination and wide-eyed dissimulations if it ever plans on becoming the "Next Great American City." Persistently high crime rates, an ailing SEPTA, and scourging "brain drain" provide even the idealists ample cause for skepticism.

However the home-grown Phanatics and newly-arrived optimists are willing to take their chances. These individuals propound a voice for renewal that reverberates through the staid din of dejection. They have slowly begun in chorus to rally one another, if not out of idealism, then simply for the the sake of their own livelihoods. Look to Northern Liberties, Fitler Square, and West Philly; these neighborhoods are flourishing. Although their prosperity, when cast against the welfare of the city, seems minimal, their impact as the agents of change, is widely heard. They've seized National Geographic's accolade as their call-to-arms and taken steps to mobilize the rest of the city. Their expectations may seem high and dreams even loftier, but these are the first ingredients in any recipe for change. (Look to sentiments of national politics and the Progressive Movement for additional justification)

Thankfully we have a new mayor who is one of them.

Any good parent can tell you that a few words of inspiration and positive reinforcement can go a long way in motivating your kids to create their edifice. The same paradigm applies to cities. We've been told our potential, accepted the challenge and are beginning to talk back. Help spread the word.

These meetings are a positive step in the right direction and I can only hope that civic participation embeds itself into the ethos of what can truly be the Next Great American City.


PS. The Planning Commission should re-Imagine its website as a necessary symbolic gesture