EDITORIAL: Making the move to University City

The campus community would benefit from top officials living near the University. Yet the same people who design the plans to reinvigorate University City typically live far from West Philadelphia. While the University obviously can't force officials to live in University City or any other part of Philadelphia, and the bottom lines is that we should respect whatever choice an official makes on where to live, Penn's leaders should be encouraged to purchase homes near campus. Why does it make a difference where campus administrators live? Where officials choose to live is important because it shapes their knowledge of the problems they must confront everyday at work. When administrators are more connected to the community, it alters their perspective on local issues and, in a sense, increases their credibility on urban policy. In addition, living in University City demonstrates administrators' personal investment in the future of the campus community -- their commitment to stepping out of the ivory tower. This is not to say that place of residence defines an administrator's effectiveness in tackling community issues. To a great extent, interaction and awareness are products of an individual's commitment -- not geographic space. But simply by living a few blocks from campus, top administrators could increase their connection to the programs they design and retail development that they draw in. This takes place because residents have an actual stake in and day-to-day knowledge of the environment. Having more Penn officials nearby would also increase the local energy for change, providing momentum for the improvements they would campaign for as residents and people with power. The University has launched numerous beneficial programs aimed at encouraging faculty and staff to buy homes in University City and is providing generous financial support for these purchases and home rehabilitation. What will it take to get the architects of many of these initiatives to jump on the bandwagon?