What do you think Philly will be like in another 10 years? (Philadelphia: homes, neighborhoods)

[jtom605]

Originally Posted by phillies2011

Yea but the opposite is true as well. Where I grew up in west philly, i was within two blocks of:
1 great grandparent
2 grandparents
6 great aunts and uncles
7 aunts and uncles
10 cousins
19 2nd cousins

and that's all just from my mom's side of the family and doesn't even get into dozens of people who we were ostensibly related to in some way or at the very least people who had been around for so long that they were thought of as family.

that family was broken up not by gentrification but by a descend to crime (great grand mother was hit by drunk driver and left to die, my uncle was shot in the back of his knee at an atm), all the local stores went out of business, property values fell like bricks. over the past 20 years a whole neighborhood that was tied together as one is now scattered to the wind, the lone hold out being my one great aunt. everyone else is gone.

the truth is none of these neighborhoods last forever anymore though, kids go to college now, they travel, they set down roots in other neighborhoods, cities, states, or even countries. having a neighborhood where you know every single one of your neighbors and many of them are your family is just a rarity today, for better or worse, that's the age we live in, not just in philly, but around the world.

the thing is though, while gentrification is undoubtedly putting an end to a lot of tight knit communities that have been together for generations, I much rather have gentrification be the reason for this than crime or poverty.

gentrification has it's negatives but it is overall a positive thing. aside from long term renters just about everyone benefits from gentrification, even the long time residents who live in the community being torn apart, cash out as they sell their property and move away. this obviously isn't the case when crime and neglect destroy a community.

So i hope those that gentrify do so responsibly and we as a city take steps to ensure that people are not taken advantage of, but overall? bring on gentrification.

I once had a conversation with an older man from Kensington (he had moved out of that area a long time before our conversation). He was telling me that, at one time, you could just finish high school and take a job at the factory. Kensington was a strong working class community because everyone had a decent-paying job waiting for them. Therefore, they could buy a house close to their parents and close to their workplace.

Of course, after the factories and jobs left, it all changed fairly quickly. Crime, drug use, and poverty increased like never before. Once that happened, many simply moved away.

Perhaps it's simply the death of close-knit working class neighborhoods in the United States. There are still a few working class areas of the city, like the Northeast, but, as a resident of the lower NE, it's not really all that tight-knit. The majority of my friends and family members left for the suburbs. There are still some remaining though.

Of course, there is a large population of senior citizens in the NE now. I've heard parts of the Lower NE called a "naturally-occuring retirement community." Their kids don't live in the neighborhood but they stay because they don't feel like uprooting at this point or their homes are paid off completely. It doesn't help that some parents explicitly tell their children not to move back into the area because of their fear that it will become a ghetto. That could become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Anyway, it's time to end the rant. Gentrification is generally good and, while I can understand the reasons why some oppose it, most of their arguments lack logic.

[mancat100]

In a city that contains VAST swaths of slums and near-slums, the arguments against gentrifying fairly limited areas around the core are just ridiculous.

[hawkwnd]

Originally Posted by mancat100

In a city that contains VAST swaths of slums and near-slums, the arguments against gentrifying fairly limited areas around the core are just ridiculous.

I agree with this. It seems everyone on this site wants Philadelophia to improve, even those who negatively assert it will never happen and cannot see that it has been improved substantially in the last 20 years. Many years of decline have to be reversed and reversal obviously means areas that had declined are made better. Many of these were near Center City and were the obvious ones to be the object of "gentrification." Society Hill was the first gentrification area. Would anyone seriously argue against it. It does not have to mean forced relocations and government condemnations to aid developers.
For too long Philadelphia resisted all efforts to advance itself. Now that younger people want to live in the city they want to be near the center. I am always amazed now to see the areas where there is substantial activity. I think if someone had posed this question even 10 years ago people would not have foreseen all of the chages occurring now. So we probably do not know what CAN (not necessarily will) happen in the next 10 years.

[pman]

society hill was part of the negro removal era and included forced relocations. i wonder how the people forcefully relocates fared

[wendel]

Over the course of the last several years I have visited and spent several weekends a year in Philly. I have used mass transit and have driven in. I am a New Yorker.

At no time at night walking the streets of Philly did I feel safe, this includes Center City. During the day in Center City panhandling, drug trafficking , huge police presence and a bad feel hung everywhere. Large stores have active ,ever present , security guards , some stores had full time police cars parked outside in addition to private security. When driving through north Philly I found it hard to believe I was in the USA . Abandoned graffiti riddled buildings everywhere with the wind lifting garbage and litter into the air; Filthy streets and lots full of debris. Roving gangs at night in Center City assaulting tourists inside restaurants and their cars. The national guard will be required soon. Good luck on the future of Philly, no law, little order , magnificent murder rate, national champion in 2011 in murder per capita. No leadership from Mayor Nutter on crime tolerance. I hope mayor Nutter hasn't lost the phone number of the national guard along with all the common sense he seems to have misplaced. NY was going this way until Giuliani cleaned up the mess.

[mancat100]

Originally Posted by wendel

Over the course of the last several years I have visited and spent several weekends a year in Philly. I have used mass transit and have driven in. I am a New Yorker.

At no time at night walking the streets of Philly did I feel safe, this includes Center City. During the day in Center City panhandling, drug trafficking , huge police presence and a bad feel hung everywhere. Large stores have active ,ever present , security guards , some stores had full time police cars parked outside in addition to private security. When driving through north Philly I found it hard to believe I was in the USA . Abandoned graffiti riddled buildings everywhere with the wind lifting garbage and litter into the air; Filthy streets and lots full of debris. Roving gangs at night in Center City assaulting tourists inside restaurants and their cars. The national guard will be required soon. Good luck on the future of Philly, no law, little order , magnificent murder rate, national champion in 2011 in murder per capita. No leadership from Mayor Nutter on crime tolerance. I hope mayor Nutter hasn't lost the phone number of the national guard along with all the common sense he seems to have misplaced. NY was going this way until Giuliani cleaned up the mess.

Oh please. Give me a break.

[RightonWalnut]

Originally Posted by wendel

Over the course of the last several years I have visited and spent several weekends a year in Philly. I have used mass transit and have driven in. I am a New Yorker.

At no time at night walking the streets of Philly did I feel safe, this includes Center City. During the day in Center City panhandling, drug trafficking , huge police presence and a bad feel hung everywhere. Large stores have active ,ever present , security guards , some stores had full time police cars parked outside in addition to private security. When driving through north Philly I found it hard to believe I was in the USA . Abandoned graffiti riddled buildings everywhere with the wind lifting garbage and litter into the air; Filthy streets and lots full of debris. Roving gangs at night in Center City assaulting tourists inside restaurants and their cars. The national guard will be required soon. Good luck on the future of Philly, no law, little order , magnificent murder rate, national champion in 2011 in murder per capita. No leadership from Mayor Nutter on crime tolerance. I hope mayor Nutter hasn't lost the phone number of the national guard along with all the common sense he seems to have misplaced. NY was going this way until Giuliani cleaned up the mess.

This is highly over exaggerated and borderline false. Everything is just not true except for the North Philly part and not all of North Philly is a ghetto. I hate when people generalize an entire area. That's like saying the entire Bronx is a ghetto... oh wait. And no it was not the National champion. It had the highest per capita murder rate among the 10 largest cities in the U.S... not among all cities in the U.S. If you felt unsafe in Center City Philadelphia then there is something wrong with you my friend.

Absolutely ridiculous that you even thought of posting this.

[*Sweetkisses*]

Originally Posted by wendel

Over the course of the last several years I have visited and spent several weekends a year in Philly. I have used mass transit and have driven in. I am a New Yorker.

At no time at night walking the streets of Philly did I feel safe, this includes Center City. During the day in Center City panhandling, drug trafficking , huge police presence and a bad feel hung everywhere. Large stores have active ,ever present , security guards , some stores had full time police cars parked outside in addition to private security. When driving through north Philly I found it hard to believe I was in the USA . Abandoned graffiti riddled buildings everywhere with the wind lifting garbage and litter into the air; Filthy streets and lots full of debris. Roving gangs at night in Center City assaulting tourists inside restaurants and their cars. The national guard will be required soon. Good luck on the future of Philly, no law, little order , magnificent murder rate, national champion in 2011 in murder per capita. No leadership from Mayor Nutter on crime tolerance. I hope mayor Nutter hasn't lost the phone number of the national guard along with all the common sense he seems to have misplaced. NY was going this way until Giuliani cleaned up the mess.

Being from NY, I would think you'd understand urban issues. We all know NY was not always the Disneyland it is now. I know..I was raised in Brooklyn. You have contributed nothing to this thread. Don't post again.

[RightonWalnut]

People will literally do anything to disrespect and discredit Philly in every way they possibly can on this website. What did Philly do to deserve this? Lol

[*Sweetkisses*]

Originally Posted by Summersm343

People will literally do anything to disrespect and discredit Philly in every way they possibly can on this website. What did Philly do to deserve this? Lol

Probably because they hate Philly sports fans. But anyway back on topic!!