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Old Posted Nov 30, 2017, 6:16 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Londonee View Post
Do you think the record high applicant numbers has more to do with the fact that the Millenial generation is the largest generation in American history and has been flooding colleges for the past 15 years? Or, is it the lack of groundfloor retail at Penn's dorms catapulting it to the next level?

Seriously though, it almost sounds like you're saying, Penn is doing amazing: the data backs that up. So if it ain't broke why fix it.

But hasn't Penn's ascension also coincided with the university's overt rededication to the urbanization of the campus and wider embrace of the city at large? Meaning groundfloor retail and amenities from grocery stores, to pubs, to burger joints, to sushi joints, to movie theaters?
Yes, the revitalization of the surrounding NEIGHBORHOOD has been essential to Penn's ascension. But so has the creation of a more cohesive campus for Penn's core academic and residential activities within that surrounding neighborhood. And there's been a fairly consistent effort by Penn not to mix the core activities with the commercial.

Remember that this ongoing effort to create a cohesive campus began with the closing of Woodland Avenue and Locust Street through campus in the 1960s, and I'm sure that there were similarly negative reactions from some folks back then: "How can you close off these busy city streets??? You'll NEVER be able to successfully create a Dartmouth or Princeton in the middle of the city! Either remain a 'city' school, or move out to Valley Forge (which was a plan actually under consideration back then)!"