Saturday, October 15, 2005
Ed Bacon et al
The city of Philadelphia, already acting to combat brain drain (trying to keep local college grads in the area), is no position to lose anyone with a hint of creative talent. So I have to note the consecutive loss of three influential Philadelphians, just in the last two weeks -- city planner Ed Bacon, city councilman David Cohen and former council woman and Pa Sec of State C. Delores Tucker.
It would be hard to imagine what Philly might look like, without the innovative green spaces Bacon pushed through. Ask anyone who lives in the city -- from November through early March -- Philadelphia is a steely gray, monolithic place -- often dreary and cold. New York, Boston and DC are more vibrant and make better use of natural environs. Philly is tough on the eyes and soul -- an encomium to those with SAD, seasonal affective disorder. So thanks to Ed Bacon, for redeveloping Society Hill and brainstorming Independence Mall and JFK Plaza and the fountain.
Cohen was a classic mid-century liberal with a capital L. He championed the underserved and poor and although his philosophical style has fallen out of favor, swallowed by the Dittohead/Sean Hannity timehole, I suspect it will be back in due time. Tucker, if you got past her bluster and flashy apparel in the '70s, had a lot to say about racial inequality and power.
It would be hard to imagine what Philly might look like, without the innovative green spaces Bacon pushed through. Ask anyone who lives in the city -- from November through early March -- Philadelphia is a steely gray, monolithic place -- often dreary and cold. New York, Boston and DC are more vibrant and make better use of natural environs. Philly is tough on the eyes and soul -- an encomium to those with SAD, seasonal affective disorder. So thanks to Ed Bacon, for redeveloping Society Hill and brainstorming Independence Mall and JFK Plaza and the fountain.
Cohen was a classic mid-century liberal with a capital L. He championed the underserved and poor and although his philosophical style has fallen out of favor, swallowed by the Dittohead/Sean Hannity timehole, I suspect it will be back in due time. Tucker, if you got past her bluster and flashy apparel in the '70s, had a lot to say about racial inequality and power.
