At Wharton, Rendell says cities have room to improve

As the Philadelphia mayoral election looms only a week away, Mayor Ed Rendell's speech on "the future of American cities" in Steinberg-Dietrich Hall yesterday afternoon had particular relevance for the Penn community. The lecture was sponsored by the Grusse Public Policy Forum Series, which brings distinguished senior government executives to the Wharton School to engage students and faculty in a discussion of important policy issues of the day. Rendell is the first lecturer in the 1999-2000 series. The mayor began his speech on a positive note, saying that American cities are doing extremely well. He attributed this current prosperity in part to a "new breed of mayors." "American cities have been blessed, in most cases in the 1990s, with a lot of new pragmatic mayors who weren't tied to the old ways of doing things? who were willing to take their own responsibility for improving their lot." Rendell used Philadelphia as an example, emphasizing the city's enormous growth and improvement during his term. "We turned a $230 million deficit, destined to grow to $1.4 billion, into a balanced budget in 18 months," he said, "and in the last five years, we've produced the greatest surpluses in this city's history." Rendell suggested that in addition to numerous economic improvements, mayors have been instrumental in bringing back dynamism and vibrancy to the cities. Philadelphia is currently involved in $2.5 billion worth of construction projects, yet another record for the city. New residential buildings, hotels, restaurants and entertainment centers all contribute to the cultural revitalization of cities, which results in an influx of people who want to live in these urban centers, Rendell added. The mayor emphasized that amidst the growth and development last year, there was still a 22 percent increase in requests for food from Philadelphia families and a 17 percent increase in requests for shelter. "It is absolutely clear that as America enjoys this period of record prosperity, cities have to step back," he said. "There are still huge gaping holes in the American mosaic." Rendell proposed a series of initiatives to "level the playing field" and make cities more appealing. "First and foremost, we've got to be as lean, mean and productive as we can," he said. "I think we're about 90 percent of the way there." He also emphasized the importance of regionalization, or burden sharing, suggesting that state and federal governments should create incentives for distributing costs. In response to a question concerning entertainment in Philadelphia in comparison with other large cities, Rendell said that taking advantage of what the city has to offer is a matter of knowledge and individual initiative. He stated further that downtown Philadelphia is more vibrant, diverse and safe than it has ever been and offers a plethora of social and cultural activities for young people. And Rendell expressed complete confidence that Philadelphia will continue to prosper under new leadership. Following the speech, Rendell attended a reception at which he took the time to answer individual questions. The mayor has spoken at Penn several times in recent weeks, including at Hill House earlier this month, and will continue to be a presence on the Penn campus. He will teach two Urban Studies courses at Penn after leaving office next semester.

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