The recent Southeastern Pennsylvania First Suburbs Project Summit, held on December 7, 2007 @ Bryn Mawr College, successfully convened a diverse group of approximately 300 community leaders from Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties.  Attendees were challenged to step out of their “little boxes” of municipalities and boroughs to begin developing a regional agenda for change. 

 

Two accomplished experts on regionalism at the national level—David Rusk and john a. powell (lower case is correct)—and southeastern PA’s own regional experts explained trends and policy issues confronting the southeastern Pennsylvania’s first suburbs. 

 

Mr. powell presented the historical context of ‘white flight’ from the urban core and then the older developed suburbs and communities which began after World War II and continues to this day.  He reminded us that race and class play a significant role in shaping policies that support these movements.  

David Rusk’s presentation asked us to consider the following question from a regional perspective: “What gets built where, at what cost, and for whose benefit?” They both encouraged participants to tap into their collective power as the southeastern Pennsylvania first suburbs in order to influence regional and state policy.  Please click here for the full agenda of the summit.

 

 The regional panel responded the national presentations and introduced specific local efforts to define local issues from a regional perspective.

 

The afternoon sessions of the Summit provided an opportunity to delve further into the four major policy areas confronting the older developed communities in Southeastern PA:  1) Infrastructure, Transportation and Sewers and Storm Water Management; 2) Education Funding, Resources Required for Quality Education, and Property Taxes; 3) Social Services, Health Insurance, and Services for the Aged and Immigrants; and 4) Affordable Housing, Fair Housing, Housing Foreclosures and Zoning.  While each of these “issue action groups” had much more to cover than time permitted, discussions began which will lead to a policy agenda.  Each group committed to reconvene at a later date to continue the dialogue and begin preparing for action (see action group meetings below).

 

We concluded the day with remarks from Ken Klothen, a representative from the new Mayor of one of our strategic allies—the city of Philadelphia—with a charge to commit ourselves to collaboratively working as a region on our interrelated challenges and concerns about the health and stability of our communities.

 

The next steps to continue building from the work of the summit were announced at the close of the summit.  The first important date is January 26 for the Power Analysis Workshop:  How to Strategically Analyze an Issue for Impact (see below for details). Participants were asked to indicate their level of commitment to by filling out the action response form .   

 

If you would like to find out more about the summit or the follow up meetings (detailed below) please contact firstsuburbs@gmail.com or mwood@10000friends.org.

 

Saturday, January 26, 2008

10 AM – 4 PM

Delaware County Intermediate Unit, 200 Yale Avenue, Morton, PA

Registration fee:  $15 (includes box lunch)

 

Monday, February 18, 2008 at 1 PM

Upper Darby Twp. Building

 

Wednesday, February 20, 2008 at 9 AM

Montgomery County Fire Academy in Conshohocken

 

Saturday, February 16, 2008; 12 PM

Delaware County Intermediate Unit in Morton

 

February Date, Time & Location TBA