Quote:
Originally Posted by EastSideHBG
And I can support 3rd&Brown's story with one of my own: a large company who has sites across the country was thinking about expanding theirs here that has 300+ employees. The Executives decided not to and they nicely told me it was because the area looked too dumpy and it was hard convincing staff to want to relocate/expand here. So instead they have expanded a few of their other sites and they are doing well. These QOL issues have a far and wide reach that many don't get to see and hear about.
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I don't inherently disagree with you, but think litter/cleanliness in Philly is one of those conversations where there's a lot of emotion (clearly), hyperbole, and assumptions of the worst. The truth is somewhere in the middle.
In every objective way, the Philly area, as a whole, is far from "dumpy," and presuming what you heard is true, I find it incredibly petty for a CEO to overlook one of the most talent- and amenity-rich regions in the US, because there are some pockets in/around Philly that could use some concerted and thoughtful litter control. Sounds like an incredibly fickle company to begin with, so no love lost.
I think some folks here need to travel to other metro regions more often--truly. It's not nearly as spotless and pristine in other cities compared to Philly as is often portrayed. Highways in/around NYC, and even a city like Boston that's often placed on pedestal, absolutely have enough litter in parts that I've seen to rival most anything in the Philly area. Major cities in California and Texas, the Midwest and the South? Absolutely see much of the same thing.
The reality is yes, Philadelphia has an obvious litter problem, but it's certainly on a continuum by neighborhood, and it's absolutely NOT a metro-wide problem and very, very concentrated in/around the city proper. It's frustrating and intractable, but folks should at least have a bit more confidence that there's probably more political will than ever before to solve it. And like cardeza noted, it absolutely will take more time, planning, and resources to get it right.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EastSideHBG
As opposed to what, the discussions about the population estimates and other numbers that when favorable it is, "Oh hell yeah Philly is back, baby! Take that haters!" but when not favorable it's, "Psh this is all bogus!"  |
The back-and-forth debate is counter-productive on all sides. Once again, I don't know why it's so difficult to look at every issue with nuance.
The sky isn't falling, but we should always look at things with healthy skepticism.
I think we often forget that Philadelphia is a city that's still on the mend after literal
decades of serious neglect and disinvestment.
The city has come such a long way since its worst days, but it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that QOL issues with crime, blight, economic development, neighborhood improvements, governance, population levels, etc., all continue to be a work-in-progress. And, especially emerging from a once-in-a-century pandemic where all big cities have been thrown off-kilter, we're still navigating this very awkward period to get the city back on track. Progress is never linear, however. And it always takes longer than anyone wants it to.
Take a deep breath, folks. Everyone here wants the the city to do better and thrive, even if there's disagreement about priorities and how to accomplish them.
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