Gentrification in North Philadelphia with Temple University’s New Stadium
In the past decade, communities throughout Philadelphia has experienced a gentrification like no other- as neighborhoods like Point Breeze and Kensington are on the zip codes most gentrified in America. After the turn of the 2000, neighborhoods all throughout Philadelphia have experienced gentrification. According to PBS, Gentrification is defined as “a general term for the arrival of wealthier people in an existing urban district, a related increase in rents and property values, and changes in the district’s character and culture.” However, the home-owners and citizens of North Philadelphia have been experiencing this for some time, catalyzed by the presence of Temple University. Temple University was founded in 1881 but has exponentially increased in students in the past decade- as today, it boasts more than 40,000 students. With the increasing number of students, as TU boasts it’s incoming freshman class as it’s largest class yet- as students look for housing off-campus, resulting in gentrification in North Philadelphia. Various investors and real estate agencies saw the attainable market and started constructing new apartment buildings, buying houses to renovate them, and rent them at a significantly higher price.
Not only did it impact the real estate of North Philadelphia, it has shown the consequences of having a large amount of college students in a concentrated area. Temple is known as a “party school”, meaning that TU has a party-driven culture, including its greek life that contribute heavily to it’s party culture, especially during major holidays and celebrations. Due to this culture, the communities in North Philadelphia have experienced negative consequences of this party culture, especially when the students litter the respecting the surrounding communities.
Recently, Temple University announced plans to construct a $120M stadium on-campus, to avoid having games at the Lincoln Financial Center, due to “ avoid paying costly rent for Lincoln Financial Field and boost the school’s football profile.” When these plans were first announced, the surrounding community were quick to oppose these plans but despite opposition, the TU president Richard Englert, has applied for approval from the City Planning Commission to break ground for the stadium.
The construction of a stadium in a low-income neighborhood is no new thing, as Atlanta experienced the same situation with its construction of its Atlanta Falcons new stadium back in January, as the community had experienced gentrification due to the construction of the stadium. The Mercedes-Benz stadium was constructed and located in Vine City, a low-income neighborhood that is one of the two poorest neighborhoods in the southeastern United States. (Belson) According to State Senator Vincent Ford, “This is not a sports stadium. This is a development deal, and unless you understand that, you can’t really get a grasp of what’s happening here,” (Belson) Ford expressed that it’s simply more than simply building a stadium, rather that it opens a door for future development near the stadium site, paving the way for gentrification. In Wilkin’s abstract, her first-hand description describes how her childhood neighborhood was changed (and gentrification introduced) through the Washington Nationals stadium construction. In her abstract, she states “I was able to see first hand the change in housing: single-family homes with backyards and set-back sitting across the street from high-rise single-bedroom lofts. I became curious about the effects of athletic stadiums on communities, specifically regarding gentrification and the change in housing stock…” (Wilkin 24). Following this statement, she includes various graphs analyzing the racial, fiscal and housing composition of the 20003 zip code (where the stadium was being built). As proven in the graphs, showing that before construction (in 2000), familial income of $200,000 or more was only 7.1% but in 2010, that percentage had risen to 34.9%. (Wilkin 23) In regards to race, in 2000, the percentage of White people was 40.5% and Black/African-American people was 54.7%. After construction, the percentage of White people rose to 59.6% and Black/African-American decreased to 34.0%. (Wilkin 27) By the information above, we can see how introducing a stadium for a major university in North Philadelphia could become a bad outcome for the community surrounding it, especially for all the reasons that the community is specifically protesting for.
Many groups have expressed concern over the stadium, like The Stadium Stompers, the NAACP and the Black Clergy of Philadelphia. With the construction of this stadium, it will only continue to gentrify this area and continue to displace low-income families and communities, as proven in past similar examples. This is a pivotal moment for North Philadelphia, especially since eyes are on the City Planning Commission to dictate whether this will be approved or not.
This is a pivotal moment for North Philadelphia, especially since eyes are on the City Planning Commission to dictate whether this will be approved or not. Temple University organized a town hall to hear the concerns of the community. Per the Inquirer, that ten minutes after the event started in Mitten Hall on Tuesday and during a speech by Englert — protesters began yelling, “No new stadium! No new stadium!” The shouts came after Englert said that the 35,000-seat, $130 million stadium would not displace neighbors, which is a major fear of those opposed to the plans. This could be seen that as the community challenges Englert, he is not responsive to their thoughts/protests, rather than to see the issue from their side and the amount of problems it brings. Temple University should want to engage in conversation with their surrounding community- rather than being unresponsive. Even when invited to a previous town hall with The Stadium Stompers, the NAACP and the Black Clergy of Philadelphia present, any TU administration refused to be present at the town hall, which would’ve been a suitable opportunity for engage in conversation.
In response to Temple University, the president of the NAACP claimed that the University had not exhausted their options in looking for the spot for the stadium, that Rittenhouse Square would be the best location for the stadium. In response, people on social media blasted the president’s remarks, claiming that it is a “beautiful location” and the inappropriate place to put a stadium. Rittenhouse Square is one of the most wealthy and costly communities in Philadelphia, showcasing the damage that constructing a stadium can do to a community- whether it be in Rittenhouse Square or North Philadelphia. This correlates to Cesaire’s Return to a Native Land, where he states “in some lair of darkness and pride in this disowning town, / in this crowd deaf to its own cry of hunger and misery, revolt and hatred.” This is what is trying to be prevented in North Philadelphia by constructing this stadium, a community that is displaced and removed from what they used to know, simply since they can’t afford it anymore. We are able to understand the severity of the construction of a stadium when it’s placed in a high-income community but not in a low-income communities in North Philadelphia.
In terms of TU being a “party school”, it’s interesting to note that having a stadium at Temple would only encourage this behavior, especially due to the tailgate/football culture in America today. Game culture in America encourages drinking and partying, which is dangerous for a school where a good majority of the students are still underage. “Binge drinking” is often present at these parties, especially drinking games that directly correlate to the game. These behaviors can be detrimental to a students’ success and would be managed better off-campus rather than on it.
I believe that Temple University must analyze the gentrification that has already occurred in North Philadelphia and improve its community relations- even before constructing the stadium. There must be discussion between two parties for the university to understand the humongous impact this stadium will make and what the community already feels by Temple University’s presence in North Philadelphia. This is a difficult issue to understand and the steps the university and city takes next are crucial in the survival of low-income and minority families in North Philadelphia. Temple University should keep searching for a place for this stadium to be built, somewhere it will improve the community and not devastate it. The decisions made by the city will be indicative on what the future for North Philadelphia holds.
