Bringing the district to life

Since its 1997 inception, University City District -- which represents local institutions, businesses and resident groups -- has evolved from trying to clean up the local neighborhood to trying to making it a regional destination.

In the process, UCD and Penn, its main supporter, have won the backing of once-skeptical locals and helped foster an economic resurgence that has manifested in visual and social change in University City.

Building the District

UCD was founded in 1997 at the behest of Penn, which was trying to combat the crime and urban blight that were encroaching on the campus and stifling cultural and commercial development.

With the bulk of funding coming from Penn and nearby Drexel University, the nascent UCD recognized that cleanliness and safety were prerequisites for any economic success or improvement in quality of life, UCD spokeswoman Lori Brennan said.

The organization began, therefore, with its Clean and Safe program. This initiative put two types of employees on the streets of West Philadelphia, both clad in distinctive yellow uniforms.

UCD hired a staff of maintenance workers to perform litter pickup, street sweeping, graffiti removal and other tasks aimed at beautifying local neighborhoods and making them more appealing to current and potential residents, businesses and cultural attractions.

Regardless of how clean a neighborhood might look, UCD's leadership knew that the prevalence of crime could halt the progress of change.

To address crime, UCD put safety ambassadors on the streets to watch for suspicious activity and serve as a visible reminder to criminals that their activity would not go unnoticed.

Looking Beyond Penn

Extending beyond Penn and Drexel, UCD's territory begins at the Schuylkill River and extends west to 50th Street. It reaches north to Spring Garden Street in some areas and as far south as Woodland Avenue.

It might seem that funding programs for areas so far beyond Penn's borders is a waste of University money.

This is not so, says Dorothy Berlind, the Cedar Park neighborhood's representative to the UCD board.

"Penn doesn't live in a vacuum," said Berlind, a retired Penn financial-aid employee who has lived at 48th Street and Larchwood Avenue for more than 30 years.

Berlind cited the "broken windows" criminological theory, which holds that seemingly minor urban decay, such as broken windows or graffiti, serves notice to potential criminals that either no one cares or criminal behavior is tolerable.

From Penn's standpoint, Berlind said, UCD's cleaning operations in the areas that surround campus fix the "broken windows" and can make campus a safer place.

UCD Executive Director Lewis Wendell cited the same theory as part of the rationale behind the cleaning operations, which remove about 1 million pounds of trash from University City's streets each year.

Even though UCD's stated mission always included serving the surrounding communities, Berlind said that the idea was met with skepticism.

Area residents, she said, were not sure that they would receive the promised services.

UCD allayed those concerns not with argument, but with action.

"All of the sudden, we saw guys in yellow jackets in our neighborhood," Berlind said. "They always come through for our people."

In addition, UCD asked community residents to sit on its board.

With increasing ties between the University and its neighbors, "Penn is perceived as a better neighbor. ... There was this history of resentment and suspicion," Berlind said.

While the perception of Penn has improved inside the UCD territory, some who have been excluded from the services are less pleased.

Among the neighborhoods on the outside looking in is Mantua, which is beyond UCD's northern boundary.

Rick Young, the executive director of the Mantua Community Improvement Committee, believes that the UCD and its sponsoring institutions have failed his neighborhood.

As to why UCD will not get involved in the predominantly black neighborhood Young said, "maybe because they might be afraid of crime or joblessness."

MCIC was planning as of last April to file a lawsuit against UCD, Penn and Drexel alleging racial discrimination, although Young is not sure whether or not the suit was ultimately filed.

Young said UCD should take a page from another Philadelphia University.

"Temple has become actively involved in North Philly," he said. "It tries to help the students, help the elderly."

Signs of Progress

Michael Jones, a UCD board representative from Powelton Village, said that the organization's work has "transformed most of University City."

The work has affected two groups of stakeholders, he said. "It has changed the perception that people in University City -- students, faculty and long-time residents -- had of the area."

Jones added that UCD's efforts have had a profound impact on University City's attractiveness to people who do not live here, among them potential new residents, business owners and students.

Berlind agrees that the change has been dramatic.

"They began to address our broken windows. It wasn't long before that started to have an effect," she said.

Much of the work is done at a very local level as UCD works to clean up vacant lots, rehabilitate old homes and revitalize retail space -- such as the Community Education Center at 3500 Lancaster Avenue, which received a facelift.

Beyond simply cleaning and securing the neighborhoods, UCD has made large strides toward making the area a cultural and commercial destination.

Berlind cited World Cafe Live, the Penn Bookstore and other locations as examples of the district's transformation.

And, he says, University City's population is growing as Philadelphia's overall population shrinks.

According to UCD's 2005 Report Card, population grew 2.6 percent in University City between 2000 and 2004, while Philadelphia's overall population shrank by 2.7 percent.

Other Districts

Another urban campus has recently seen the benefits that a community organization such as UCD can bring.

Six years ago, in the neighborhood of Georgetown University in Washington, local businesses voted to create the Georgetown Business Improvement District.

The district is funded through taxes that businesses vote to impose on themselves as a group.

Just across the river from Penn, Philadelphia's Center City District, which performs many of the same functions as UCD, began in 1990 as a full-fledged BID, but it did not have a large institutional supporter, as University City does.

In order to earn official business district designation, the University City organization will need a City Council resolution and the approval of at least 51 percent of the businesses on which the city would place the tax.

According to Penn Vice President for Facilities and Real Estate Services and Chairman of the UCD Board Omar Blaik, Penn is interested in exploring the possibility of making UCD a business improvement district because it is already functioning in that capacity in many ways.

Much work will be needed to convince business owners to contribute money, however, because they can already receive services for free. In fiscal year 2005, institutions like Penn, Drexel and the William Penn Foundation provided 67 percent of UCD's $5.7 million budget.

John Boegly, who owns Paris Cafe 41 at 124 S. 41st St., is not in favor of making UCD a business improvement district.

"It should not be mandatory," he said, "because not every business benefits" from UCD.

He added that he has not seen any direct benefits for his business and therefore would not vote for a mandatory tax.

The Future

UCD plans to remain completely committed to its Clean and Safe program. In fiscal year 2005, 54 percent of the UCD budget -- roughly $3 million -- went toward public safety and public-space maintenance.

While UCD officials are committed to maintaining the gains that they attribute to the Clean and Safe program, they also intend to expand marketing initiatives.

Brennan -- the UCD spokeswoman -- said that a "gateway" project, which would involve signage at entrances to University City, is also in the works.

Additionally, UCD hopes to expand its Second Fridays program. Modeled on Old City's First Fridays, Second Fridays opens art galleries, restaurants and shops in the Powelton neighborhood north of campus on the second Friday of each month.

As the UCD looks forward, it will have to address many of the problems created by its very success.

The organization will face opposition from excluded neighborhoods such as Mantua and must decide how to convince business owners to pay for what they now receive for free. But if the district can continue to keep both residents and institutions happy, its future will remain bright.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.