How Schuylkill Yards could change West Philly

Guests: Lucy Kerman, Michael Thorpe, Jim Saksa and Jackelyn Hwang

There could be big change coming to neighborhoods in West Philadelphia. LUCY KERMAN, Drexel Vice Provost of University and Community Partnerships will talk about the university’s recently unveiled plans for the Schuylkill Yards innovation development, a 14-acre project that includes educational facilities, corporate offices, and residential and retail spaces, as well as public open spaces. West Philadelphian MICHAEL THORPE, the Executive Director of the Mt. Vernon Manor CDC, will share his concerns about the massive project and how long time residents can benefit. And Plan Philly reporter JIM SAKSA joins us to talk about the University’s plans to, as he writes, “gentrify a neighborhood without displacing its community.” So, is it possible? JACKELYN HWANG, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Office of Population Research at Princeton University, will explain her research into the relationship between how neighborhoods change and the persistence of neighborhood inequality by race in U.S. cities.