Pushing Back the Gates: Neighborhood Perspectives on University-Driven Revitalization in West Philadelphia

摘要

Many universities in the United States and Canada have become increasingly committed to working with their surrounding communities to improve the quality of life of both the university population and the neighborhoods in which they are located. This is often driven by the self-interest of universities, which are in competition to attract new students and quality faculty. This competition is especially intense for the prestigious, mostly private, research universities that find themselves in the heart of economically challenged and physically deteriorating inner city neighborhoods. Columbia University, the University of Southern California, Harvard University, Northeastern University, the University of Chicago, and Johns Hopkins University come to mind. However, among these institutions, the University of Pennsylvania, or Penn, is often put forth as a model of success that other universities should emulate. Its West Philadelphia initiatives are often touted as having positive outcomes for both the university and the community.