Funded by the William Penn Foundation, the Next Great City initiative came together in the fall of 2005 to address the environmental and public health issues that are harming Philadelphia's economy and quality of life.

The coalition started by gathering information from residents on environmental issues and attitudes, both through community meetings and through professional polling, done by Terry Madonna Opinion Research. That polling showed that Philadelphia residents and businesses were being harmed by environmental issues, such as stormwater flooding, high levels of asthma and abandoned property becoming sources of crime. A consultant was hired to research ways in which other cities had solved similar issues.

Five criteria were developed to help guide the coalition's decision making process in selecting recommendations. First, each of the recommendations can be completed within the new mayor's term. Each is within the city's authority. Each of the actions will create positive changes that people will be able to see and feel in their own neighborhoods. Each was proven successful in another peer city. And each action is affordable- either revenue neutral or able to be funded through an identified source that can cover key costs.

After choosing its ten recommendations, a report, a brochure and a website were launched to share the information with the public. Meetings were held with candidates for Mayor and for City Council to gather their support and to encourage inclusion in their policy papers. A Mayoral Forum held in February of 2007 was attended by all candidates and watched by an audience of almost 800 people.

Trained volunteers have given Next Great City presentations to almost 50 community, civic and school groups. The website and a bi-weekly newsletter continue to update and engage the larger community. The recommendation's subcommittees now meet to strategize for implementation of each recommendation and to grow support through additional organizational endorsements and community presentations.

1.Sustainability Essentials

At its core, the Next Great City initiative was started to improve the environmental quality of Philadelphia's neighborhoods during the next administration. And even now, months before the new Mayor comes in, several of the policy recommendations are being implemented and moving forward. The adoption of each recommendation will make Philadelphia a greener, cleaner and more sustainable city.

Yet the city won't have to break the bank to pay for these recommendations. Each one is either cost neutral, or funding has been identified to cover key costs. Additionally, the recommendations will add to the economic vitality of the city by making the city a more attractive, effective place to live and do business.

2.Innovation

The Next Great City initiative is a first for Philadelphia. No other coalition of its size and diversity has ever come together to back a single agenda. Nor has any coalition ever been so successful in putting its issues into the spotlight during an election. Due to its success, several other advocacy communities within Philadelphia and environmental coalitions in other cities are planning to carry out a similar initiative.

3.Positive Impact

While only two years old, the impact that the initiative has had appears to be both lasting and deep. As the entire agenda is gradually implemented, Philadelphia's air will be cleaner and less children will have asthma as diesel trucks are retrofitted and more trees are planted; there will be less trash on the streets and more recycled for profit, every person will have a clean, safe transit stop and community park; blight will be removed and vacant lots will be greened; buildings will be more energy efficient and healthier for their inhabitants; neighborhoods will grow with appropriate zoning laws to protect open space and encourage smart development and our riverfronts will again be an asset to our city. In future elections, candidates for city office will have to expect to articulate their positions on environmental issues. Environmental organizations and others within the coalition will have more access to and clout with their elected officials in making sure good public policy moves ahead.The relationships formed among coalition partners will also have a long term impact. Those involved in Next Great City have benefited from accessing new information, creating alliances and partnerships and creating new voices for environmental change.

4. Additional elements

Next Great City thrived because of its partnerships. Having non-traditional allies from labor, health, senior, faith and minority-representation organizations increased the relevance of the issues and made the campaign stronger and smarter.The initiative can easily be replicated. There are already plans to create a Next Great City II in a few years time in order to keep pushing public policy ahead. The success of the initiative could also be replicated by other issue advocacy groups, or by similar organizations in other cities.

Coalition Impact

Building a 92-member coalition to back the agenda has been one of the largest successes of the initiative. Having non-traditional allies such as the NAACP or the AFL-CIO join and support Next Great City demonstrated that these issues had a wide impact and not just a concern of any particular group, but the entire city. Making connections among these various organizations has also led to more opportunities for collaboration on various issues and has overall given more strength to each of the participating groups.

Election Impact

The attached article from the Philadelphia Inquirer summarizes the impact that Next Great City has had on the Mayoral race. During the primary, each of the candidates issued a policy paper on the environment- a first in Philadelphia election history. Each also issued a statement of support for Next Great City. The February 15th Next Great City Mayoral Forum was the first event of the primary season that all five candidates attended, essentially kicking off the race. In the general election, the candidates were still forced to talk about issues like parks, recycling and riverfronts at major speaking engagements and both attended the October 15th mayoral forum hosted by Next Great City, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and the Urban Sustainability Forum.

Policy Impact

In April of 2007, Mayor Street signed a contract with PECO Wind purchasing all of City Hall's power needs, or about 4.2% of the city's energy usage, from clean, renewable wind energy. Next Great City recommended the City purchase 5% renewable energy, and this purchase puts the City close to achieving that recommendation. On the May primary ballot, voters overwhelmingly approved a City Charter change to allow for the creation of a Zoning Code Commission that would be charged with making recommendations to update and improve the City's Zoning Code. Next Great City recommended the Zoning Code be updated to include incentives for green buildings, encouragement of transit-oriented development and the inclusion of an open space designation. The creation of this Commission is necessary for these changes to be included.