community
Building Resilience The global pandemic has been described as similar to a natural disaster, only hitting every place every day for months on end. The analogy is terrifying but apt. It also hints at a helpful perspective for building resilience. Resilience. That’s a word we’ve heard a lot lately, as applied to our cities, our […]
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An Overview of the City of Philadelphia’s Historic Preservation Task Force’s Mission Summary The renewed development interest in Philadelphia’s Center City and surrounding neighborhoods over the past several years has resulted in demolitions and significant alteration of treasured buildings making headlines. It was enough so that it prompted Mayor Jim Kenney to appoint experts in the […]
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After fifty years of social and economic decline, Camden is experiencing a renaissance. The foundation of this turnaround is the partnerships and commitment between state and local governmental entities, business leaders and community stakeholders to develop and implement a holistic strategy focused on improving the city’s fundamental systems. Public safety, education, and neighborhood infrastructure are […]
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Ambler is a lovely, walkable small town northwest of Philadelphia, but in 2009 the residents had a problem. The only grocery store in town was closing its doors. The giant pharmacy that replaced the store tried to help out by selling chips, canned goods, and even milk, but it was a long way from being […]
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The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Distressed Municipalities Program, commonly known as Act 47, has been in existence since 1987. The program, which is administered by the Department of Community and Economic Development, provides a set of tools for localities suffering from severe budget challenges that threaten the capacity to deliver essential public services. Among those tools […]
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The first thought that probably comes to mind for many people is that food serves as a source of nourishment. In recent years, food has become more than just nourishment, commodified into trendy food items shared on social media, such as cronuts, unicorn Frappucinos, and rolled ice cream. At ESI, we like our fair share […]
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