Philadelphia’s Big Problem

It’s said that your thirties is the “messy middle” period of your life.

You have more responsibility, more activity, and more complexity in your life than ever before. There are so many balls in the air that juggling them becomes more and more difficult. In this spirit, I feel the city of Philadelphia is going through something similar. As Philadelphians, we ask ourselves questions like:

How do we deal with an increasing population? How do handle the aging infrastructure of our transportation systems? How should change with the times and what should we keep as a city?

If we run with the analogy of the messy middle then we should fight for simplicity!

If we are able to focus on what we should do right, we won’t have to worry about the all the smaller, less pressing, issues.

In my mind that should be addressing the real quality of life issues of residents. Unfortunately, Philadelphia is known to be a somewhat transitory place, and I can say first hand that I have seen a lot of friends come and go to various extents. If we aren’t able to retain a large majority of the influx who move here, then we lose out on the networks, taxes, and expertise they bring.

So, what should we do?

The biggest issue I routinely hear about from Philadelphians and tourists alike is a disdain for the amount of trash on our streets and overall perceived cleanliness. At one point I remember becoming so incensed with this issue that I reached out to SEPTA and offered to help clean my nearby subway stop, but they replied that it would upset their union. That demeanor speaks to how content we are to not be proactive, to be content with less.

What do you think?