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Philadelphia's murder rate is abysmal and there is no justification to "spin" it away. I'm not a sociologist, but isn't it conventional wisdom that poverty and violent crime go hand in hand? That is why it should be no surprise that Philly also has the highest poverty rate among the 10 largest cities, with an astounding one quarter of the city's residents living at or below the poverty line: • Top 20 most populated cities in the U.S. - poverty rate 2014 | Staistic
What skills do someone who was raised in a poor family, surrounded by poverty and graduating (or not) from under-funded schools bring to the job market? Can you imagine such a person walking into one of the downtown banks and being hired? It's easier to picture someone with that background seeing the high dollar drug market as a way to make a quick buck. It is not surprising that the overwhelming percentage of Philadelphia's violent crimes occur within entire ghettos of people living with those same seemingly hopeless options. And each generation repeats the pattern of the one before it. Trying to unravel this is an undeniably difficult but not impossible challenge to tackle, if one is an optimist like me.
I have lived here 5 years and have never felt unsafe. That is a privilege. But I am aware of the city's immense problems, and see concerted and committed efforts to address them. City leaders appear to have the savvy to know that enhancing policing and implementing drug rehab is not the sole answer to reducing the problem of poverty and crime. I will share 3 programs headlined in recent weeks that are aimed at addressing the root cause of crime and violence and not just its symptoms:
1. Housing: A large number (don't ask me because I don't know the exact number) of the city's 60s and 70s high-rise public housing towers continue to torn down and replaced with street front townhouses. These homes not only create a more humane scale of living, but no doubt also give their tenants a greater sense of pride. Here is an article on one such re-scaling that launches in just a few days: Implosion Planned for Norman Blumberg Apartments in Sharswood - Curbed Philly
One additional tactic the city can employ is to require developers to set aside a percentage of units from the their projects for low income rental or ownership. The purpose is to lessen the impact of gentrification. I have heard buzz about this, but I don't think it's a standard adopted by most developers.
2. Education: Our recently elected mayor had the expansion of pre-K across the city as a key promise of his campaign. According to him, children who have had the advantage of pre-K are more likely to continue and be successful in education from K - 12. Mayor Kenney has just this past week introduced a "soda tax" as a way to pay for city-wide pre-K: http://6abc.com/politics/kenney-call...uncil/1229349/
3. Employment: One of the city's key public institutions is Drexel University. As its reputation grows, so does the need for expansion. Drexel borders some of Philadelphia's poorer neighborhoods. Rather than wall itself off, 1 of the 4 elements of the university's master plan is to "draw the community into shared spaces." For example, this comes from the master plan: "Build a larger, more active University City neighborhood. Introducing new housing and neighborhood-oriented retail choices on sites like the Hess Engineering Research Laboratories at 34th Street and Lancaster Avenue would enhance quality of life in Powelton Village and Mantua, while helping attract top faculty, staff, and students to Drexel." Anyone wanting to read the master plan can start at this site: Campus Master Plan | University Facilities and Real Estate | Drexel University.
There must be many more initiatives underway to address the city's problems that I am not aware of. But since moving here, I find Philadelphia and its leaders aware of the challenges in creating more opportunity for every citizen. While none of these above programs and others like it will transform Philadelphia overnight, incremental progress is the strategy. Breaking Philly's crime/violence cycle is not just a problem that is nice to address, but is a problem that needs to be addressed if the city is to sustain enhance its growth going forward. I'm an optimist based on what I've seen.
(apologies in advance for misspellings and/or omitted words - an unfortunate habit)
Thanks for the detailed response. I only posted the shooting data because someone else said I was being ignorant for not wanting to venture outside of Center City after dark on my own. After seeing the ctual data, I'm sure most people would agree with me.
the fact that guy's take a way from reading PinetoVine's post was "most people agree with me that they wouldn't walk around 133 out 135 square miles of Philly at night" says everything about you.
Haha you're ridiculous... that map shows robberies and homicides combined. All of those red dots are robberies.
And you're in denial. The map I posted shows all crimes involving guns. So according to you, because no one was shot while having a gun pointed at them, it really isn't a violent crime? Just stop already.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AJNEOA
This is a very incomplete picture. When the temp is 87 degrees and humid all day, it takes almost all night to reach those lows. For example, you might get two hours (5am - 7am) of 67 degrees with humidity because the day hit the high 80s. So, while the average low temps aren't too far off from one another, San Diego is going to cool off much quicker from the day. And humidity, even in the high 60s is a factor, especially when the city still has absorbed that heat. For those of us living in the dense parts of Philly, the city is a serious heat island. A city row house soaks up the day time heat and never loses it during the night.
Dew points in the mid/high 60's are becoming more common here. But when it goes above 70, everyone starts freaking out. Luckily it never lasts long.
Sadly, yes. I'll sum it up:
- Rental market that I found to be more difficult than even L.A.'s
- Once I got a rental, the landlord was a sociopath.
- Employment (full-time professional) at the worst company I've ever worked for--and among a list that includes Walmart! Caustic, abrasive, condescending management team. Very high turnover, and I bailed quickly.
- I lost a friendship that I made in L.A. with a (practically) native S.D. person for reasons I'll probably never know. I thought we were close. Nuh-uh. Things were going fine and great--then just went from 70 to 0. Turns out, the person was a tool who makes poor decisions and I'm better off!
- Job interviews in SD were often administered by flat-out jerks. More than any place else I've lived.
- I hated driving in SD--far worse than in LA or SF--because of the impatient, road rage jerks--and I'm happy to report that I didn't engage or participate.
Most SD'ans love their city. I get it, and it's a gorgeous place. I was just miserable there. Granted, I didn't even love the city before I moved there, but I still wanted to be open-minded and give it a chance. Ultimately, I found SD to be everything they rag on L.A. for being (but which L.A. overall is not): full of the fake, pretentious, and shallow.
So all your bitterness towards San Diego is based on anecdotal evidence? That's awesome. Be glad you got out when you did and get over it already.
And you're in denial. The map I posted shows all crimes involving guns. So according to you, because no one was shot while having a gun pointed at them, it really isn't a violent crime? Just stop already.
Are you suggesting that people have a gun pointed at them regularly? Can honestly say I've never been a victim of a violent crime and I've lived in Philly for 6 years now.
Are you suggesting people are victims of violent crime regularly? That's ridiculous. You have about a 1% chance of being a victim of a violent crime in Philadelphia. Therefore 99% of people are never a victim of violent crimes.
On the other hand, you have a 1.2% chance of dying in a car accident. Therefore your odds of dying in a car accident are better than being the victim of a violent crime. I bet you drive everyday don't you? In fact, I know you drive everyday because San Diego isn't walkable, has ****ty public transit, and it's very difficult to hail a cab.
Does the 1% chance of dying in a car accident prevent you from driving everyday? No? So why then would it prevent you from visiting Philadelphia or living in Philadelphia? Your chances of being assaulted are 0.4%. Your chances of being murdered are 0.001%
This violent crime thing is overblown. Stop being a sensationalist.
Thanks for the detailed response. I only posted the shooting data because someone else said I was being ignorant for not wanting to venture outside of Center City after dark on my own. After seeing the ctual data, I'm sure most people would agree with me.
It seems like you might be a bit more risk averse than you need to be, but your call of course. Just so you know, people live, work and play without fear all over the city, not just in Center City. A few examples:
- University City, just across the Schuylkill has more salaried jobs than the entire downtown of St Louis (West Philly Rising - Citified).
- Ex governor Ed Rendell lives in East Falls, also the home of late Senator Arlen Spector.
- Northern Liberties and Fishtown are hipster havens.
These are just a few of the vibrant neighborhoods outside of Center a City. If you visit Philly, you will have a fantastic time, even if you never venture outside of Center City. But there is plenty to see and do beyond Center City if you're able to curb your timidity just a degree or two.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
23,814 posts, read 34,678,989 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sdurbanite
Thanks for the detailed response. I only posted the shooting data because someone else said I was being ignorant for not wanting to venture outside of Center City after dark on my own. After seeing the ctual data, I'm sure most people would agree with me.
ROFLMAO!
I'm female. I worked 2nd & 3rd shift in Philly for decades. I was more concerned about deer jumping out in front of my car if I cut through Fairmont Park than being shot.
I'm female. I worked 2nd & 3rd shift in Philly for decades. I was more concerned about deer jumping out in front of my car if I cut through Fairmont Park than being shot.
Heck-I live in a neighborhood with a higher rate of violent crime typical than most Philly neighborhoods-and it's just not a concern for me. The overwhelming majority of violent crime is amongst people that know eachother-domectic/drug disputes, etc. I was born/grew up in Philly and also lived in The Bronx for 4 years, and the only time I have ever had a gun pulled on me was in suburban Boston ironically enough. I have never actually been a victim of violent crime/armed robbery/etc thankfully. I do not think I am just "lucky", and that's not to say that it isn't an issue-it certainly is, but mainly for a specific demographic (young black/hispanic men)-and it has more to do with The War on "drugs"-the longest and costliest war in US history, and the disinvestment of certain areas in Philly fueled by deindustrialization/globalization, white flight/racism-things that San Diego obviously doesn't have to deal with since it has a very different history and demographics compared to more urban/older cities in the US.
Philadelphia was once aptly named "The Workshop of the World", so these things hit Philly hard.
Property crime rates (which are usually random) are much more comparable between San Diego and Philly (234 vs 319).
The violent crime rate in Philly itself has actually been consistently cut (28%) since 2006, so I just don't feel that it is a valid reason to not live in or visit the city.
In reality, San Diego completely destroys Philly in any other quality of living and/or desirability poll. People do not dream of living in Philadelphia. LA, NYC, Miami, SD, Honolulu? Definitely.
We may have positive personal experiences in Philadelphia, but the overwhelming amount of people find San Diego more desirable. I love urbanity so Philly is pretty even w/ SD. A lot of Americans don't prefer that.
Well then, I'd say Philly is holding its own quite well on this poll for such a "dream city" like San Diego.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
23,814 posts, read 34,678,989 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 2e1m5a
Well then, I'd say Philly is holding its own quite well on this poll for such a "dream city" like San Diego.
It's like I said before. . . San Diego's reputation is for perfect weather. Philadelphia has no reputation for weather but many people make incorrect assumptions based on the occasional nor'easter.
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Well then, I'd say Philly is holding its own quite well on this poll for such a "dream city" like San Diego.
