Panels to look at decline of cities

Local experts will discuss the decline of American cities -- and possible methods of revitalizing them -- during monthly panel discussions organized by the City and Regional Planning Department. The department first decided last spring to examine and become involved with Philadelphia. Officials began that process by developing panel discussions to take place throughout the academic year. Led by department Chairperson Anthony Tomazinis, a committee including three other professors and a student, gathered this summer to plan topics, speakers and locations for the discussions. The series began last Wednesday and will end in April. The roundtable discussions, entitled "Philadelphia's Reversal of Fortunes," focus primarily on the city of Philadelphia and its problems. Each discussion will address a specific topic that affects urban areas, from crime and government to the residents and businesses leaving the cities. Different experts will serve as panelists on each topic. "We were hoping to start up some real discussion within the academic environment about what we believe, as scholars in the field, is the reason behind the decline of cities," Tomazinis said. "This is a devastating trend, and it has lasted for too long, so it is imperative for our country to reverse this trend." Organizers hope the panel discussions will provide solutions for community leaders and generate research ideas for how to improve Philadelphia. "We hope to get the University interacting with the city again," committee member and City Planning Professor Marion Fox said. "Before, students weren't going into the city of Philadelphia itself other than from a design outlook." Tomazinis said the recent increase in crime near campus created a "fever" among the University community about the need to improve the city of Philadelphia. "Crime is at our door. You see what is happening and you can't be indifferent," he said. According to Tomazinis, top University administrators have told him of their hope that the University's expertise be put to use in diagnosing Philadelphia's problems and finding effective solutions. He said University President Judith Rodin's five-year Agenda for Excellence includes a call for such an application of Penn academic resources. "I think you'll see invigorated schools and departments all over Penn working towards these shared goals," said University spokesperson Barbara Beck. Following the last panel discussion in April, the department will issue a report regarding the results of the panels. The discussions' organizers will suggest solutions and send the report to government policy makers. "There are solutions if only the officials will be able to listen to voices other than their own," Tomazinis said. "Hopefully, with voices coming from the University, they might listen." The panel discussions are open to the public and will take place once a month on Wednesdays from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. "The discussions keep up this momentum of reforming the cities," said Mary Lou Doyle, who attended last week's discussion. "If we lose the momentum, the government drops projects. We need to keep this pulse of reform alive so that we don't have to start from scratch -- we can build on our successes and come up with a plan."