University of Pennsylvania and West Philadelphia

I've written before about the University City District, an assessment-funded Business Improvement District in the area around the University. (Although I did have a conversation with a Philadelphian last week about the UCD and he surmises that part of the reason it is assessment-funded is that nonprofits like the University of Pennsylvania don't want to set the precedent of paying a tax of any sort, figuring it would give the state or local legislature too many ideas. He also told me that in the 1970s the University considered decamping, and leaving the city for the suburbs.)

Penn Bookstore. 3601 Walnut Street.

Opened in the Summer of 1998, the Penn Bookstore combines the elements of a full-service academic bookstore with the amenities of a Barnes and Noble superstore. The Computer Connection is housed within the bookstore and carries hardware as well as a wide selection of peripherals, accessories and software. Among the store's 130,000 titles are approximately 90,000 academic books, making it one of the most comprehensive academic bookstores in the country. It also features a large Faculty Authors section and extensive World News section. Throughout the store are murals and kiosks depicting the rich history and favorite images of Penn.

The development of which the bookstore is a part, University SquarePenn, was built through a $90 million commitment by the University, and is a 300,000-square-foot retail and hotel development on the site of former parking lot at 36th and Walnut Streets, creating a new social and commercial magnet for students, faculty and staff, as well as local residents and outside visitors. University Square tenants include:
- A new and vastly expanded University Bookstore which is now the largest campus Barnes & Noble in the nation;
- The 228-room Hilton Inn at Penn, a first-class hotel that includes18,000 square feet of meeting space; a new faculty club.
- POD a cutting-edge restaurant developed by one of Philadelphia’s most successful restaurateurs.
-Several high-volume retailers such as Urban Outfitters, Eastern Mountain Sports and Smith Bros. , as well as a Cosi sandwich and coffee bar.

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Anyway, the University of Pennsylvania came to understand that its health and success is in part dependent on the safety and success of the adjacent (very large) neighborhood, and that its enrollment yield is dependent in part on the vibrance and safety of the neighobrhood. The University responded to this fact with the West Philadelphia Initiative, a comprehensive and pathbreaking five point initiative to impact and revitalize the neighborhoods around the campus:

1. Clean and Safe Streets
2. Housing and Home Ownership
3. Improving Public Education
4. Economic Development
5. Commercial Development

Here's the section on Clean and Safe Streets:

A New Civic Partnership…the University City District

A key vehicle for neighborhood improvement has been the University City District, or UCD – a public-private partnership that Penn helped found in 1997 together with community groups, local businesses, government and other partner institutions such as Drexel University.

The UCD’s operating budget comes from voluntary five-year contributions from its member institutions, including Penn, Amtrak, Children's Seashore House, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Drexel University, U.S. Postal Service, University City Community Council, University City Science Center, University of the Sciences, Veteran's Affairs Medical Center and West Philadelphia Partnership as well as from businesses, residential and commercial property owners and community organizations.

In the past four years, the University City District’s logo has become a familiar symbol of a range of efforts to improve the neighborhood’s quality of life. Its core services include:

Safety Ambassadors: The UCD’s 40 Safety Ambassadors are distinctively uniformed, unarmed officers who patrol University City streets to help local residents and visitors, while serving as a highly visible deterrent to crime. The UCD headquarters also houses a Philadelphia Police Department Substation, staffed by 25 city police officers. Safety Ambassadors work cooperatively with Penn and Philadelphia police to share information on crime patterns, and develop joint deployment plans.

Public Space Maintenance: The UCD provides a team of uniformed cleaning personnel who regularly clean sidewalks and work to eliminate graffiti in University City. All 25 employees of the UCD’s Public Space Maintenance program are former unemployed recipients of public assistance. Most are themselves West Philadelphians who received job training through the UCD program and are now working fulltime with benefits, to improve the community’s quality of life.

LUCY -- Loop Through University City -- Bus: In partnership with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), the UCD has established a new minibus service that connects major institutions in West Philadelphia, including Amtrak 30th Street Station, Penn, Drexel, and other major locations. As an adjunct to the extensive network of SEPTA buses, trolleys and subways that serve West Philadelphia, the LUCY bus has made local travel even more convenient for those who are living, working or simply visiting University City.

Capital Programs and Planning: The UCD manages a variety of projects to improve the physical environment of University City. These capital investments include a variety of visible improvements in lighting, landscaping, directional signs, building murals and banners. For example, the UCD has created a new, user-friendly system of pedestrian signs strategically placed throughout the area marking the routes to major institutions and buildings. The UCD has also recently created a partnership with the Philadelphia Recreation Department to improve the management of Clark Park, the central park space for the University City community.

Marketing and Public Information: The University City District provides marketing and promotional initiatives designed to enhance the image of University City as a clean, safe and attractive environment in which to live, work and visit. UCD co-sponsors a weekly farmers’ market, and sponsors monthly events designed to highlight the arts, unique restaurants and international culture in University City.

New Street Lighting…UCBrite

In 1996 Penn and the West Philadelphia Partnership started a community lighting program called UC Brite. Under UCBrite, the University worked together with community members to light the neighborhood house by house, block by block. Specifically, Penn reimbursed homeowners and landlords in University City for 50 percent of the cost of both lighting fixtures and installation charges. Using local electricians, UC Brite helped homeowners install more than 2,500 sidewalk and house lights at 1,200 properties. As a result, 123 square blocks in University City are safer and more welcoming at night. The program is now managed by the University City District.

Planting Improved Streetscapes…UCGreen

This community-based project has brought Penn students, faculty and staff together with public schools and neighborhoods to enhance the physical environment in University City through planting new trees and greenery. So far, UCGreen has:

- helped renew 25 neighborhood blocks;
- planted more than 400 trees and more than 10,000 flower bulbs;
- created three children’s gardens and four public gardens.

UCGreen has focused on vacant lots, distressed parks and residential blocks. One example is the Lea School Garden. Through UC Green, what was once a 1,600 square foot concrete courtyard at a local public elementary school has become a thriving outdoor learning environment of plants, bushes, trees and flowers, a shallow pond and seeding area, a trellis and murals depicting the four seasons.. The children helped design the garden together with a professional architect while engaging in hands-on science activities with the support of Penn faculty and students. More recently, in November 2001, UC Green organized Penn and local volunteers to plant 150 trees in memory of the victims of the September 11 attacks along the main thoroughfare Chestnut Street, from 31st to 40th streets.For more information, call Esaul Sanchez, UCGreen director, at 215-573-4684.

Penn and Public Safety

Since 1996, Penn has taken broad steps to combat crime not only on campus, but also in adjacent areas of University City. The Penn Police Department:

- Hired 19 new officers
- Revamped its detective unit, bringing in four seasoned veterans from the Philadelphia Police Department.

The University of Pennsylvania and its partners in West Philadelphia have worked successfully to increase public safety in the area. In 1999 the University of Pennsylvania Department of Public Safety opened a new headquarters building on 40th and Chestnut Streets in West Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Police Department opened a new substation in West Philadelphia at the UCD headquarters.

Penn’s investment in West Philadelphia improvement reaches across hundreds of square blocks. It begins along the 40th Street commercial corridor that links the western edge of campus with the rest of University City. Over the past five years, Penn invested $12.7 million in new sidewalks, trees, lighting, bike racks and trash receptacles on 40th Street, along with developing major new retail tenants such as a premium freshgrocer and multiplex movie theater. The success of widespread streetscape and safety enhancements has been built on active partnerships between the university and local residents.

For more information on the sharp decline in crime in West Philadelphia, go to http://www.upenn.edu/police/dps.htm