Philadelphia's Placing a $500 Million Bet on Play - Next City

Philadelphia's Placing a $500 Million Bet on Play - Next City

My first reaction to the headline was, "No city should be putting a half-billion-dollar bet on anything!" But the headline of this article doesn't reflect its contents. It's really about a lot of things: How rec centers can build community in a neighborhood, the importance of passionate volunteers from the neighborhood to make that happen, how to ensure that city grant money is effectively deployed, how to keep long-time rec center supporters engaged while making newcomers welcome in the decision-making process. There are many encouraging stories packed into this story, which is really about urban husbandry, and how to deploy a big pot of money strategically, and in small doses, to nurture signs of life around the city.