Daniel Zinshteyn

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification standards hold a monopoly over colleges' sustainable construction projects. But a lesser-known alternative is beginning to make a mark at universities. Penn's master plan calls for the construction of a number of environmentally sound buildings, which will be certified as such by LEED, the widely used and expensive third-party review system.

With gas prices sitting at $3.51 a gallon nationwide, many people are finding it harder to get around. These same prices are making it more expensive for institutions like Penn to fund construction projects. Recent economic troubles - especially rising fuel prices - are driving up construction costs, forcing universities and developers to plan ahead and take steps aimed at saving money.

University City has a bright future. Those managing it just need to ensure that the future is visible past lines of cars and swarms of people in rush-hour traffic. The face of the district will soon undergo a decades-long makeover with planned development projects from Penn, Drexel and Brandywine Realty, the firm developing the Cira Centre South at 30th and Walnut Streets.

There's no denying that Penn students are a diverse bunch. About 13 percent of current freshmen are international students. Additionally, many students who are U.S. residents immigrated here from another country. Bridges For Integration is a new organization devoted to helping immigrant students assimilate into American culture.

After much delay, the South Street Bridge Replacement Project finally appears poised to begin - but community members are still trying to assert their views about the project. Community members have been critical of the design put forth by the city, and last month the South Street Bridge Coalition commissioned urban planning firm Wallace Roberts & Todd L.

As the University marches toward a sustainable future, Penn continues to make LEED certification a major initiative in its newly constructed buildings. But while institutions continue to strive for this goal, they are realizing that in order to build green, they must shell out some green in the process.

As fuel costs rise, the benefits of solar energy are often touted - but solar power is easier to implement in some places than others. The construction of a solar community in Northeast Philadelphia displays the benefits of obtaining energy from the sun. But it also highlights the difficulties in applying such technology on a large-scale, such as at institutions like Penn.

Philadelphia is going through a growth spurt, and it's taking University City with it. As it stands now, the city is one of the smallest among its peers in terms of building height, especially when compared to cities such as New York and Chicago, where skyscrapers abound.

Upcoming development projects associated with Penn, including the $500 million Cira Center South towers, will be changing the face of University City for years to come. But Penn isn't the only institution changing the landscape west of the Schuylkill. This month, Drexel University announced that it will commit more than $400 million to the construction of 11 projects that will be completed by 2013.

Plans are underway for major renovations to the music building near 34th and Walnut streets. The renovations will include the demolition of the building annex, which was built in the 1960s as an addition to the historic 19th century structure. In its place, the School of Arts and Sciences plans to construct a silver-level LEED-certified building.