Parties debate future of inner-city development

As the future of large-scale, federally-funded programs to revitalize low-income neighborhoods like West Philadelphia grows increasingly uncertain, several local and campus organizations have begun to fill the void. And while the presidential candidates continue to debate how to improve the quality of life in such areas, experts say there may be little practical difference between the two parties' positions. "Neither side has really addressed the problems of the inner city," said Ira Harkavy, director of the Penn Center for Community Partnerships. "It's a crucial issue, but it has received very little attention from either campaign." Harkavy noted that "neither part really proposes to use much federal money" to expand affordable housing, improve education or increase employment in the neighborhoods. Democrats like President Clinton propose creating "partnerships" between the government and the private sector to improve poor neighborhoods. "We need a new partnership between Washington and the individuals of this country," Clinton said earlier this year. "We need a new way of doing business? to create the conditions in which people can seize opportunities." Democratic proposals include designating 105 communities in 42 states -- involving much of Philadelphia --as empowerment and enterprise zones. Democrats would require banks to lend in their own communities, along with the development of financial institutions and networks of community banks in low-income areas. Additionally, they propose increasing capital investment and loans to minority-owned small businesses by offering capital gains tax relief for certain venture capital company investments, and giving tax credits to companies hiring people off of welfare. Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole, meanwhile, suggests aiding poor areas by fighting drugs and violent crime, improving educational opportunities and cutting taxes to increase economic opportunities. Specific Republican proposals include allowing mothers on welfare to take jobs without paying any taxes on the first 190 percent of their income, providing housing vouchers for low-income Americans and eliminating the capital gains tax in order to spur investments. Locally, groups such as the University's Center for Community Partnerships and the non-profit West Philadelphia Partnership are attempting to improve conditions in the area without government intervention. "Our projects engage the entire University community in large-scale community programs," said Amy Cohen, associate director of the Center's Penn Program for Public Service. She explained that the Center primarily works with area schools to develop new curriculum ideas and work with teachers, as well as with community-wide groups on a wide-range of projects. "We have approximately 150 Penn students, 90 faculty members and a large amount of graduate students working on our programs," Cohen said. "We try to engage the entire University community." She added that Penn is"ideally suited to revitalize its community because of its tremendous financial and non-financial assets, such as Penn's intellectual and research resources." The non-profit West Philadelphia Partnership, meanwhile, is a consortium of area's "major businesses, schools, universities and residents," according to its president, Larry Bell. "Our mission is to enhance the economic, educational and residential quality of life in this neighborhood," he said. "We run school-time programs aimed at kids, as well as evening and summer programs aimed at adults." He noted that the "hundreds" of Penn students and faculty involved with the Partnership are a "tremendous asset" to the area. "It goes both ways," he said. "The community gets access to Penn's resources, and the University people get real-life experience. Both sides benefit."