Sounds like a step in the right direction. Hope it happens given that the economy isn't doing so great. I can appreciate the cynicism also -- show me.

A huge amount of what's wrong with Philly government is structural - corruption, inefficiency, incompetence, outdated agencies - and so the biggest changes Nutter can implement aren't necessarily going to be knock-your-socks-off events. Nor are they likely to produce immediate, dramatic change. But in the long run the improvement in municipal government that he can effect by doing things like this could really be substantial.

Yeah, inertia. Very hard to affect. He seems to have good intentions; just hope he can get things moving in the right direction.

My point was mainly that the most important steps he can take are actions that won't necessarily look like much to people on the outside and won't necessarily yield immediate results. But that doesn't mean they aren't important steps.

yippy. another political thread disguised as a general interest story-and no matter how its sliced, this has nothing specifically to do with Queen Village, Bella Vista, nor Hawthorne. I very glad that this city is happy to start a nutter campaign that requires knee pads, but the simple truth is that this discussion begins elsewhere.

__________________
Peter Cetera:
Sometimes I just forget
Say things I might regret
It breaks my heart to see you crying

Sounds like window dressing. It is the results that count.

A big reason for the delay in improving the waterfront is politics and if people really cared for the waterfront as opposed to other places in the city I think. I can't exactly the say money has been very well spent overall the last few years before Nutter particularly besides the move of the Independence Visitor Center is all I can think of, but just a thought.

In Baltimore, the Inner Harbor was a huge improvement way back in the 70s. While it did bring economy to Baltimore and is undoubtedly beautiful, it tended to ignore the problems of the poor. The project ultimately did not help the poor even though it revived Baltimore's economy.

Times are different now than before. Also, I think the racial makeup is very different here than Baltimore, and not that that should matter, but I think it does matter. I hope the waterfront improvements can help not just our economy, but some of the poor neighborhoods in the area. With minimal drug and alcoholic abuse, and enough security in a growing area like this, there can be success. More than ideal, I know.



Reference: http://www.amazon.com/Crisis-America...85/ref=ed_oe_p
Note: There is a 13th edition which may not be too much different from the version I read.

__________________
SEPTA is short for "Septic Tank" -chessimprov!

I am so sick of this mentality. Help the poor? Jobs are created. If people want jobs, they can get them through development. Sorry the whole world isn't a big nonprofit to "help the poor".

Why should inner harbor development help the poor? Its such an inane comment, as if we're living in a communistic system where we build things to help the masses. Maybe inner harbor should have been Philip's Soup kitchens and Marriott homeless shelters-Yeah, that would attract the tourists!

And how is the demographic makeup in baltimore much different? Philly's roughly half white and half black; baltimore is just over 60% black and half the population. With the massive student and tourist population, the innercity demographic quickly becomes equivalent to philadelphia.

__________________
Peter Cetera:
Sometimes I just forget
Say things I might regret
It breaks my heart to see you crying

You are WRONG AGAIN , QV and BV would greatly benefit from an improved riverfront and therefore this story is relevant for QV/BV. As two of the neighborhoods close to the river an improved riverfront would provide better access to outdoor activities, provide better locations for events, improved public transportation, attract more people to move here and so on.. This could be very relevant for us...

This is the equivalent of shaking up the zoning board. It has city ramifications, and is a general interest story with no specificity in Queen Village nor Bella Vista.

__________________
Peter Cetera:
Sometimes I just forget
Say things I might regret
It breaks my heart to see you crying