Nearly 40 members of the Philadelphia community were glued to their seats on Mayor John Street's "Get on the Bus" tour. Intended to provide residents with insight into how tax dollars are used, Tuesday's tour with the theme "Revitalizing Our Neighborhoods" focused on Street's Neighborhood Transformation Initiative.
"We create opportunities for redevelopment, improve the delivery of services ... rebuild our more distressed neighborhoods," NTI Director Pat Smith said, as she greeted those on the bus before rushing off to make a presentation at Penn's Center for Urban Redevelopment Excellence.
The whirlwind tour of northern Philadelphia gave passengers an overview of areas most dramatically affected by the NTI, guided by live commentary from city officials.
"We target different strategies to different neighborhoods," NTI Policy Assistant Director Jacob Fisher said, gesturing to land plots that would soon be redeveloped.
Over the course of two and a half hours, participants heard about the issues involved in assembling sites for redevelopment, the general drop in crime rate partly attributed to increased information flow from the community and the efforts that local leaders have taken to attract investment.
Community members were enthusiastic about the concept of the tour.
"Daily life keeps us largely in our own little bubble," Center City Resident Association member Rachel Stein said. "I want to see what changes are being made."
Passengers also raved about the educational value of the enlightening excursion.
"This is my first time in Philadelphia, so I thought it'd be important to better understand the city," National Student Partnerships Program Manager Joshua Nobel said. "Our office is very much involved in helping people in the community. ... It seems Philadelphia is doing a very good job improving the life of its residents."
And although the vast majority of the people on the bus tour came as representatives of various community organizations, there were also a few students on board.
College senior Gena Seroogy, an urban studies major, was one of them.
"I'm taking a community economic development course," Seroogy said. "My professor informed us about this tour, and I thought it would be interesting to see a community at work."
Participants were given opportunities to ask questions and discuss neighborhood issues with city officials stationed on the bus.
City officials were effusive about the success of the bus tours.
"Response has been extremely good," said Scott Wilds, assistant director of the city's Office of Housing and Community Development, who previously helped guide another tour. "The two tours I've gone on gave different groups a chance to get out and see the work the NTI does. ... Mayor Street wants us to see the results now. A lot of the NTI work is long-range, but there's a lot you can see now in a concrete way."
Visible results were an important aspect of the tour.
"It's informative," American Street Empowerment Zone Renewal Community Manager Jim Flaherty said. "It's good for people to know what happens with their tax money."
City Assistant Managing Director Tumar Alexander agreed, adding that he hoped the tour showed how "government partnerships ... make our city a vibrant place to live."
A "Get on the Bus" tour exploring the work of the Department of Streets will be offered today.
Participants will also be offered an opportunity to explore Fairmount Park with City Managing Director Phil Goldsmith on Oct. 13.
