City plan of Philadelphia. PA - Essay Example

Now is the time to set in place a plan for that future so that current and future residents can once again feel the pride and joy from living in the city of ‘brotherly love’ and a home known for its acceptance of immigrants from all cultures and ways of life. This plan for a new Philadelphia is designed to span only ten years, as time cannot be wasted to get the city back on track towards that prosperity and free and independent city that Philadelphia is known for and certainly deserves to realize once again.

Philadelphia’s Present Condition Many urban cities in America are currently facing problems of various sorts. Philadelphia is certain no exception. From infrastructure to education, and budgetary to water issues, Philadelphia is currently going through its fair share of challenges that threaten its very existence. One aspect of Philadelphia that has seemingly not changed over the years, however, is the resiliency of the people. The residents of the city are avid sports fans, devoted to the area, and consist of multiple generations of families that have called Philadelphia home through the centuries.

As such, while these conditions paint a dire picture, they do not truly capture the essence and sprit of the city as a whole. Problems can certainly hurt development and growth, but Philadelphia is well positioned to confront any challenge that it faces and often will arise being a stronger and more determined people as a result. Let us consider for a moment the current state of various issues within the city of Philadelphia as a whole. The first noticeable trend is that, after years of decline, the population of the city has recently started to rise once again.

This indicates a movement back to the city a trust in the promise of the future, in spite of the current difficulties currently being encountered. In addition, with all of the negatives being encountered by the educational system, it is encouraging to note an increase in test scores. With the passing of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001, Philadelphia has encountered over a decade of failing schools systems and poor performance on mandated state testing. While there is still much work to be done in this regard, and Philadelphia as a whole still possesses a most fractured and disjointed educational system, the progress being currently demonstrated is promising and encouraging to the residents of the city.

Prior to 2011, Philadelphia had one of the lowest high school graduation rates of urban cities within the United States. Recently, however, even this statistic has begun to reverse itself into positive territory. There graduation rates throughout the city have actually gone up in recent years, and it is estimated that the percentage of adults that have obtained a college degree is now nearly 23 percent. This is figure that many residents of the city thought they would never see. Truth be told, however, these numbers do not paint the whole story.

The physical buildings housing many of the city’s educational institutions are crumbling due to age and lack of proper maintenance. The District has long been plagued with budgetary concerns, and the teacher’s have had numerous labor disagreements with the city in recent years. This, coupled with demographic issues also facing Philadelphia has created a perfect storm of trouble for