from today's dp:
http://tinyurl.com/2wz9op
A FRESH COAT OF PAINT GOES A LONG WAY
Signs' makeover seen as deterrent for potential criminal activity on Penn's
campus
-- by Jimmy Tobias
First impressions are everything.
And the crumbly, paint-chipped, 15-year-old signs that
once stood above Spruce, Walnut and Chestnut streets were
not very impressive.
The signs, looming over a few of the main gateways to
Penn's campus and University City, were an unattractive
welcome for freshmen coming to the University for the
first time.
But Penn's brand-new, "better-than-ever" freshman class,
as the administration calls its new students, were
greeted to campus brand-new and much better signs.
New "Welcome to University City" signs accompanied by
Penn's spruced-up logo now adorn the rail bridges that
stand at the three original locations.
A new sign location was even added to University Avenue.
"It was time to refresh the paint and update the design,
particularly in concert with us expanding into the postal
lands," said Mark Kocent, principal planner at the
University Architect's Office.
But the new signs aren't there just to beautify the
campus -- they are partly the product of a continuous,
concerted effort of Penn officials to connect the campus
to the neighborhood it calls home.
The signs are part of a project to "brand University City
as a place people want to be" and a place "synonymous
with clean and safe," said Andrew Zitcer, a spokesman for
Facilities and Real Estate Services.
"Putting up the new signs indicates [the University's]
pride in our neighborhood," he said.
Professor of Urban Design and City Planning Michael
Larice said branding University City and Penn's campus
using signs works to both mark territorial boundaries and
influence people's perception of the area.
Repainting these signs is "showing University City to be
a better maintained and new place," he said. "Why do you
think we paint our houses every few years?"
There could be a downside to this type of paint job,
however. Over the last few years, some West
Philadelphians have expressed reservations over Penn's
desire to associate itself with University City instead
of the less-glamorous area to the west, and the new signs
do nothing to combat that perception.
But Zitcer says that shouldn't be an issue.
"We're not trying to get into a debate about boundaries,"
he said. "We are not trying to isolate University City
from West Philadelphia. University City is a neighborhood
of West Philadelphia; it is a part of West Philadelphia.
For her part, Vice President of Public Safety Maureen
Rush said the branding effort has an positive effect on
crime, as well; she believes the repainted signs let
potential criminals know they are entering a protected
neighborhood.
[it looks like the article is tagged as having 1 reader's
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