Homicides on the Rise

Philadelphia’s homicide total this year is slightly higher than it was at this time last year and substantially higher than in 2009 and 2010, when the city had its lowest totals in recent years. The death toll is running only slightly behind that of New York City, even though New York has five-and-a-half times as many people as Philadelphia. As of May 6, the last date for which comparable statistics are available, Philadelphia’s homicide total was 118, and New York’s 127; for a time earlier in the year, Philadelphia actually had more homicides than did New York. Nationally, homicide numbers are up in some big cities this year, down in others. The worst case is Chicago, which has seen an increase of over 50 percent. Even so, its homicide rate remains lower than Philadelphia’s on a per capita basis.

Philadelphia’s lower life expectancy

According to a new study from the Seattle-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, Philadelphia has one of the lower life expectancies of any county in the nation. The study, based on 2009 data, reported that a boy born in Philadelphia could expect to live 70.9 years, a girl 78.6. Since most cities, unlike Philadelphia, are not counties, the study does not allow for extensive city-by-city comparisons. Among those cities that do show up, Philadelphia has a higher life expectancy than Baltimore, which was at 67.8 years for boys, 76.5 for girls. Nationally, the numbers are 75.7 years for boys, 80.6 for girls. The lowest life expectancies are in some rural counties in the South, particularly the Mississippi Delta. The highest also are in rural areas, mostly in the West and Upper Midwest.

Big changes coming to Philly schools

The pace of change in K-12 education in Philadelphia has accelerated in recent weeks. The School Reform Commission has announced plans to decentralize the school district and close as many as 64 district-run schools over the next five years. In addition, the archdiocesan schools have signed onto the Great School Compact, a citywide effort to produce more high-quality seats in schools, regardless of whether they are Catholic, charter or district-run. Two of our past reports provide useful background on all of this. They are “Philadelphia’s Changing Schools and What Parents Want from Them,” which discussed the overall transformation of K-12 education, and “Closing Public Schools in Philadelphia: Lessons from Six Urban Districts.” 

Affluence shifting to urban cores

Our Pew colleague, Alan Ehrenhalt, has written a timely new book on cities. In The Great Inversion and the Future of the American City, Ehrenhalt lists Philadelphia as one of a number of metropolises where the center is becoming prime residential territory, particularly for young adults and empty-nesters. The “inversion” in the title refers to the shift of people with money from the outer suburbs to the urban core. In a chapter on Philadelphia, Ehrenhalt documents the inversion in the city but wonders about its ultimate strength, describing Center City and environs as an “island of affluence more than an engine of civic improvement.” And he worries that Philadelphia’s prospects will be damaged by its tax structure, crime rate, abandoned properties and reputation for provincialism.

Introducing the Pew American Cities Project. We want to call your attention to the Pew American Cities Project, a new endeavor recently launched by the Pew Center on the States in partnership with the Philadelphia Research Initiative. The project is going to focus on the issues facing the biggest city in each of the nation’s 30 largest metropolitan areas; Philadelphia, obviously, is one of those cities. The goal is to highlight common problems and concerns while helping policy makers understand promising approaches and best practices. Right now, the project’s website includes an interactive presentation that we’re calling an “introductory snapshot” of the cities.

Philadelphia 2012 Update: The State of the City. This bi-annual update to our popular State of the City report found a city in transition on a number of fronts—with familiar problems and one promising demographic trend. Printed copies of the 2011 full edition are still available, free of charge. To request one, send an e-mail to pubs@pewtrusts.org with your name and postal address.

The Library in the City: Changing Demands and a Challenging Future, our March report, drew attention in Philadelphia and across the country to the role of urban libraries as one-stop, multipurpose community centers. These institutions face a daunting road ahead even as they provide a greater number of services to city residents.  

Philadelphia's Workforce Development Challenge: Our study, released in January, found that half as many employers have signed up to use the tax-funded workforce system in Philadelphia as statewide. And the system, which is now being restructured, had lower job placement rates for laid-off workers.

May 17: The Next Generation of Manufacturing in Philadelphia. Details here.

May 21: Police Advisory Commission. Details here.

May 31: School Reform Commission action meeting. Details here.

June 12: City Planning Commission monthly meeting. Details here.

June 12: Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority board meeting. Details here.

June 19: Monthly board meeting of Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority (PICA). Details here.