Managing Equitable Development in West Philadelphia

Managing Equitable Development in West Philadelphia was a project organized by representatives of three schools of the University of Pennsylvania. Led by John Kromer, of Arts and Sciences, Vincent Reina and Domenic Vitiello of Design, and Wendell Pritchett of Law, the purpose was to study changes in neighborhood real estate markets in West Philadelphia and identify opportunities to advance equitable development goals as these changes occur.  

The overall goal of the project was to identify locations within a broad area of West Philadelphia in which the viability of existing affordable housing and neighborhood services is at risk and to propose policy and/or program initiatives to reduce these risks or resolve related underlying problems. The project was intended to promote data compilation and analysis, the identification of barriers and threats to equitable development, and proposals for interventions to proactively address these problems.

Initial work on this project was funded through a Faculty-Student Workshop Grant awarded by the Fels Institute of Government’s Fels Policy Research Initiative. Grant funding was used to support research completed by Lauren Parker of PennDesign and Alina Artunian of Penn Law, as well as technical services provided by PennPraxis. Other research documented in this report was completed in connection with academic course requirements and capstone or independent study projects. By supporting these activities, we hope to encourage student and faculty engagement in projects that generate new knowledge about West Philadelphia and that provide insights about ways in which the interests of current community members can be upheld and strengthened.

The hope is that these reports will be useful in stimulating further dialogue and constructive action in support of all members of West Philadelphia’s communities.