The Fight for Metropolitan Philadelphia: An Agenda

In the 1990s, Philadelphia was the slowest growing metropolitan area in the country after St. Louis - growing only 3.6%. The number of young people in our region ages 15-34 declined at 9 times the national average. Suburban job growth has been below the national average since 1993 and Philadelphia experienced even less. From 1993-1998, Philadelphia topped the list of the 10 cities with the highest total state, federal and local business taxes. Between 1982 and 1997, developed land grew by 33% while our population grew by only 3%.

In this follow-up agenda to Flight or Fight (2001), the Economy League proposes policy shifts to concentrate development, conserve natural lands, equalize fiscal resources, and connect growth with the right transportation, housing, and workforce policies.