In a message dated 4/12/2007 12:38:41 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
University City isn't a good name for this neighborhood because Omar Blaik made it up. Let me turn your farcical statement sarcastic. Blaik was Rodin's community development expediter, otherwise her CPA bagman/hatchet-man once removed by way of her EVP John Fry. It was obvious to former West Philly home-girl now psychologist Judith Rodin, Philadelphia's local weak and disorganized government would allow her the opportunity to control the off-campus franchises for social and cultural drivers in then "urban West Philly". Mounting a highly visible role as President Dr. Judith Rodin, she recast local economic development public policy. Her most visible public initiative was to recast the many long Balkanized neighborhoods into a homogeneous University City District. Rodin inherited the venerable West Philadelphia Partnership, which she viewed as an unwieldy, ineffective, and too broad-based community development vehicle. She forged and launched (1996) a new community development corporation, the UCD, using Penn's money and the tacit approval of the significant local educational, medical, research, and service institutions many of which the Penn Trustees were stockholders and all of which the Penn Trustees were stakeholders. Penn's redevelopment of public assets would initially focus on ameliorating public disorder, creating greater financial incentives for home ownership (thereby stimulating private market forces), and engaging in the creation of model new schools thereby making the University City District further attractive and affordable to the desired middle and upper-middle class homeowners. It was anticipated such a readily achievable plan would allow the UCD to create the appearance of a working relationship with its desired single-family homeowners. However if a transparent and open community organizing model was intended, The West Philadelphia Partnership, with its strong history of neighborhood groups' participation, would never have lost its Penn funding and Penn leadership support. Barriers of mistrust developed as Rodin dramatically underestimated the intransigence of many neighborhood groups and other unrepresented interest groups. Rodin was right in anticipating the support of the already present homeowners, who could profit handsomely through the new order. UCD's three (3) year plan for developing taxing powers was so slow to develop both John Fry (2002) and Rodin (2004) had left for greener easier pastures. By 2006 even President Gutman recognized Blaik would never be the successful champion of the UCD with taxing powers, and he and his staff were jettisoned, some with golden parachutes _http://www.u3ventures.com/_ (http://www.u3ventures.com/) and hopefully obfuscating the public's recognition of the much flawed UCD process. In retrospect Rodin was extraordinarily brash and totally naive to believe she could launch anew in three years an urban renewal plan, at which many other very bright creative and talented people had toiled for over 35 years. (In fairness to Blaik, Inquirer Architecture critic Inga Saffron, who I enjoy reading, praised Blaik for both his good architectural taste and forcing the public entrances of Penn buildings, especially along Walnut Street, to face the city's streets not the campus' private walks.) Ciao, Craig ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.