Mayor John Street advanced his fight against blight last week when he signed the Neighborhood Transformation Initiative into law and allotted $295 million to help clean up the city's run-down areas.
The mayor officially signed the law on March 13 in a blighted area of West Philadelphia -- the 4500 block of Sansom Street.
Street has actively supported this legislation since his inauguration in 2000, but he has been awaiting approval by the City Council, which must approve the budget allotment. Council finally approved the budget last week.
While urban blight has always been a concern of city governments, the NTI plan is the first of its kind nationally.
City officials said that they are extremely enthused about the project, including Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, who represents the district that encompasses West Philadelphia.
"As soon as the mayor said 'blight' we were right there behind him," Blackwell said. "We are extremely overjoyed to be in office while the mayor was able to enact this vision. We're ready to take on blight."
In a re-examination of the city during the 2001 fiscal year, the Philadelphia government recognized tens of thousands of vacant lots and buildings, many of which posed an eminent threat to neighborhood residents.
City Council members have proposed specific plans for the renovations in their respective districts.
Blackwell has submitted about eight proposals for her district already, including two projects which have already begun -- at Lex Street and the Mill Creek district of which Lex Street is a part.
On Dec. 28, 2000, seven men were murdered on a block of Lex Street in what was believed to be a drug-related dispute. The "Lex Street Massacre," as Blackwell referred to the incident, sparked interest in blighted areas, particularly in the ways of removing other potential danger zones like the one on Lex Street.
Demolition has begun at many blighted locations already, and rebuilding will begin upon completion.
The NTI has a six-level framework of goals to revitalize and reurbanize Philadelphia, with a particular emphasis on community involvement.
Community input regarding the plan is one of the most significant aspects of the NTI and part of what makes it unique.
"Our program allows and encourages input by the community," Blackwell said. "It allows for total involvement in the community, which is very important.
"We believe that blight is the first opportunity for the community itself to really make a difference," she added.
Once blight is eliminated, areas can be rebuilt to the best advantage of the community, and anti-blight programs can be enacted. Local groups are already starting to bring proposals to those overseeing the citywide NTI program.
The Partnership Community Development Corporation, located at 4020 Market Street, has been working to remove West Philadelphia blight for the past 10 years. However, the NTI has enabled it to make an even bigger impact in the community.
Currently, the Partnership CDC has made proposals for 28 renovations and 18 new construction projects, although no definite dates have been set.
"We're very proud to be a part of the NTI," said Blane Stoddart, executive director of the Partnership CDC and a 1987 Wharton graduate. "Neighborhood transformation is critical to the city, and that's what the NTI does; it's very exciting."
Not all community groups are as enthusiastic as The Partnership CDC, however.
Larry Falcon, head of the Neighbors Against McPenntrification, a West Philadelphia advocacy group, says he does not believe that the NTI is necessarily in the best interests of the community.
"There should be a re-evaluation of how you define if a neighborhood is blighted; those who should determine it is blighted should be the community itself," Falcon said.
Even once the area is determined a "blight," Falcon says he is not certain that the renovations will be advantageous.
"Renovations should be made by people of the same culture and ideologies as the neighborhood," Falcon stated. "I mean, what exactly is 'anti-blight'?"
