Urban Universities and Municipal Improvement: Reclaiming Philadelphia's Landscape

Abstract

This paper examines the role of urban universities in assisting municipal improvement through a case analysis of Project SWEEP, an effort being conducted jointly between Temple University and the Philadelphia Streets Department to improve the urban landscape through better sanitation awareness, education, and enforcement. The role of urban universities in the design and implementation of such projects includes the identification of underlying assumptions in urban renewal projects, the design of job-related curricula for front-line service delivery personnel and for nontraditional audiences, and the trans/ er of the training function to municipal agencies.