Melani, This post may be your most twisted perspective on reality, yet.
IMHO, John Fry and Judy Rodin managed our neighborhood as if it were an 8 second Bull-ride. Life was a Quid Pro Quo Caberet and rule by the aesthetically fussy (with or without mitigating competence) was endorsed. Flackettes and Flackers were paid to write unfavorable comparisons to the 'bad old days'. Sad (and bad) neighborhood news was cherry picked, exaggerated and than the hyperbole highlighted until fear and false economies won PENN the Civic Center Properties and Schuylkill Lands as values plummeted area wide. Once PENN had gathered all the land they could manage through years of future development, PENN realized that the collateral damage to the neighborhood was harming their admissions statistics and began a drive to jump-start logical improvements. By granting (only their own employees) seed money they helped many long term neighbors leave. The investments totalled an average of 5% of the improvements while Buyers (Penn only need apply) and Lenders carried responsibilities for the balance. Even though we (West Philly) started this century as the POSH side of Schuylkill living, and still have the better built houses, more genteel space, more convenient conveniences and the Lion's share of art, cultural, educational and employment opportunities, we are still valued beneath inferior CC properties. I suspect the PENN spin, which is cumulatively negative, has something to do with that. The latest UCD fund Raising letter continues the theme. I don't have it in front of me, but a paragraph about the slum we were "just ten years ago" resonates in a rage inducing way. Those of us who grew up at on blocks where Town meets Gown, get tired of Gown's supercilious low points. A counter reality is how many people truly love this neighborhood and their homes. Folks try hard to stay in their houses even after age or disability make moving on a logical choice. I do not see the churning of properties that is apparent down town. Well enough rant, Let other voices battle the merits of our wildly different opinions on this matter, TTFN Liz On Mon, 11 Jun 2007 13:13:34 EDT [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: In a message dated 6/11/07 10:29:25 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: To be fair, I suppose one must admit that Penn and Judy made a difference in the hood, but to give her all the credit seems a little unrealistic and mythic, to say the least. Yes, there is a history in UC of groups / organizations claiming credit for things they didn't do. The "best" thing Penn did under Judith Rodin was to stop BADMOUTHING the neighborhood. That allowed University City to grow and prosper naturally. It had always been a special place to live; it was great, once Judith Rodin took over, to see more people REALIZING this. Once those of us who were active back then, no longer had to convince potential newcomers, one at a time, that they were unlikely to get killed if they lived here; no longer had to persuade them that having a diverse neighborhood was an asset, not a liability, then the activists finally had time to move on to other projects. Like park clean ups, graffiti removal, community fairs, block clean ups, etc. Melani Lamond
