Center City population grows unevenly

Apparently, everyone wants to go downtown. In Irvine Auditorium on Tuesday, Professor Eugenie Birch shared the results of her recent research on urban housing trends to a recital room filled with undergraduates, graduate students, professors and administrators. Birch, who is chairwoman of the City and Regional Planning Department, said that Center City is experiencing significant growth "both geographically and in terms of populations." But the growth in downtown Philadelphia is uneven. According to Birch, three tracts of Center City -- Old City, Washington Square and a region between Arch and Chestnut streets -- have experienced remarkable growth, while the rest of the city has incurred population losses or remained stagnant. Demographically, these up-and-coming regions have attracted educated, unmarried individuals. Birch pointed to public sector activities, like City Council's vote for a tax abatement in 1997 and launch of an advertising campaign in 1998, as the causes of the unbalanced growth. In a reception following the lecture, Anne Guillette -- a graduate student in landscape architecture -- praised the government's efforts to liven the downtown area. "I think it's wonderful that there are incentives to bring life back to the city," Guillette added. Birch urged that her findings will have "great implications for our cities as we go forward.... We need a strategy that incorporates a way to deal with the surrounding areas that haven't experienced such growth." The key, Birch said, is to understand why certain areas, rather than others, have swollen. Provost Robert Barchi noted on timely nature of Birch's research. "This was a very provocative lecture which explained the relationship between our University and the city," Barchi said, adding that the recent construction of the Left Bank housing facility on the edge of Penn's campus is a prime example of the booming market for downtown housing. Birch's speech was the latest segment in the Provost's Lecture Series. Intended to showcase Penn's most senior faculty members and provide a forum for students and professors to meet informally across schools, Provost Barchi initiated the series last fall. "I especially like the mix of people I see at these lectures," Barchi said. Undergraduate Assembly Chairman and College senior Michael Bassik agreed. "It was interesting to see the level of interaction between the students and staff members," Bassik said. "Students should take advantage of the opportunity to mix with Penn's most prized professors."