Race, Real Estate, and Education: The University of Pennsylvania and the Rise of Gentrification, 1960–1980

• In Event: Location, Location, Location! The Politics of Race and Space

Abstract

Concerned about the decline of its surrounding neighborhood, the University of Pennsylvania formed the West Philadelphia Corporation (WPC) in 1959 to transform the area. WPC plans to clear blocks it deemed slums and improve local public schools failed, as the largely African American residents who were slated for removal fought to keep their homes, and chaos in the school district undermined the WPC’s educational programs. Years later, The University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University have created very successful neighborhood public schools, which has unfortunately inflated property values and sapped diversity. Using oral history and archival sources, this paper will show how the failed WPC plan predicted that K-12 education could be a key ingredient in gentrification.

Author

• Edward Mark Epstein, University of Pennsylvania