October 1, 2003
In the words of Daniel Burnham, the great architect and planner who had an enormous influence on the development of the city of Chicago, “Make no little plans. They have
no magic to stir men's blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work . . . Think big.”
With the mayoral campaign featuring the same cast of characters discussing many
of the same issues as four years ago, our current political debate runs the risk of seeming like déjà vu all over again. So this issue of the Greater Philadelphia Regional Review tries to rise to that challenge — to think back, think ahead, and introduce some new characters in the long running epic drama that is our region. This issue highlights past, present and future plans for the city, inviting us all to think differently about the future of our region and its communities. Here we have a collection of progressive plans and proposals that challenge the status quo and push the existing boundaries. Here’s our attempt, in the midst of this campaign, to expect more for this city, this region, and for our future.
If we want to think big, as the first article suggests, let’s wind the clock back to 1853, when the city of Philadelphia was defined by what we now know as Center City, one of twenty some municipalities that existed within the county of Philadelphia. That’s the provocative idea expressed and outlined by Mark Alan Hughes, the Daily News columnist and senior fellow at Robert A. Fox Leadership Program at Penn. As we approach the 150th anniversary of 1854, when the grand municipal experiment abolished those local governments and created the modern city of Philadelphia, Hughes suggests that we might want to go back to find our future. Maybe the only idea bigger than this one was the idea that in 1854 we would actually dissolve many local governments into one big government (just try that today, Pennsylvania!). The City Planning Commission led another round of big thinking in 1960 with the release of its Comprehensive Plan for the City of Philadelphia of 1960. In this document, during what some would consider to be the twilight of the golden years of urban planning in Philadelphia, a confident, even bold vision for the city comes through – a city that, the plan projects, that could be as big as 2.7 million people by the year 1980. If only….
Fast forward to today, in the city of Washington, D.C. Having itself suffered population losses over the last decade; Washington and its Mayor Anthony Williams have outlined a bold plan to grow the city by 100,000 people. Alice Rivlin discusses the current population challenges that plague the city of Washington, DC and describes the initiatives the city has taken to try to attract residents back to the city. Our implicit question: if it’s good enough for Washington, why not for Philadelphia?
Good schools, it’s argued, may be the single best factor that influences the choice that families make about where they live. And how long has it been since Philadelphia invested in its crumbling schools? (Short answer: too long.) In "Rejuvenating Philadelphia’s School Infrastructure," the School District of Philadelphia outlines an exciting new vision for the District’s physical infrastructure. This $1.5 billion plan, put into action earlier this year, is part of the larger widespread changes promised in the School District in the coming years.
Next are three articles with "big ideas" that help us think creatively about what the region can be. In "If I Had a Billion Dollars," we hear seven regional leaders’ thoughts and plans for city improvements if they were given one billion dollars. The results run the gamut from a new venture fund to jumpstart emerging firms to covering the stretch of I-95 that separates Center City from the Delaware River. All of them, all $7 billion worth, provide us with new visions and exciting possibilities for Philadelphia’s future.
Next time you’re stuck in traffic, take a look at "Taxing Fuel Emissions: Partial Alternative for Transportation Funding." There, leaders of the new Greater Philadelphia Transportation Initiative put out some provocative ideas that would provide a new revenue stream to the state while reducing congestion and improving the environment. If you’ve followed at all the debate about transportation funding in Pennsylvania, the lack of a steady, predictable funding stream hinders and handicaps our mass transit network. Bear with the GPTI authors and a little of their technical details. It’s a big and interesting idea.
So are these ideas inside the box? Outside the box? You make the call – or decide it doesn’t matter. Point is, Daniel Burnham’s right. Big ideas do inspire. And sometimes they even happen.
Articles from this issue (PDF format):
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