Curious about the future of development in Mantua and surrounding communities?
Passionate about fair and inclusive growth?
Mt. Vernon Manor CDC and the Mantua Civic Association are thrilled to launch our:
Why? Campaign
In the face of pressure to sell our neighborhood for profits that do not benefit our community, we ask: WHY?
Why have public and private entities consistently ignored the needs of Mantua and other former “Black Bottom” communities?
Why do our residents continue facing barriers to high-paying jobs, quality education, and housing stabilization resources?
Why do developers want to flood Mantua with wealthy residents– especially young students and professionals– at the expense of our lower-income neighbors?
Why do they only care about our neighborhood now?
Why are we for sale?
Here’s the thing: developers and city officials can only do what we let them. It’s up to us to maintain control over our own neighborhood, and there are a few key ways this can be done:
- Familiarize yourself with the history of development in Mantua. More info on the history of planning in Philadelphia can be found here.
- Learn more about development through this glossary of terms.
- Attend regular Registered Community Organization (RCO) meetings at the Mantua Civic Association and Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) hearings. More information can also be found here.
- Help us bust key development myths.
- Check out this land justice toolkit from the Philadelphia Coalition for Affordable Communities and PACDC’s Equitable Development Report.
- Talk to neighbors, friends, and family about these issues. Friends don’t let friends sell our community!
If you are interested in receiving a training regarding these issues, or just want to connect further about this, please reach out to Emma Kahn at emma@mvmcdc.org or 267-607-3218.
Click here to read more about what’s going on with the Mantua Haverford Community Center and MVM’s continued advocacy for our community. As a tenant of this beloved building and an advocate for equitable development in Mantua, Mt. Vernon Manor is concerned about the Mantua Haverford Community Center’s proposed demolition and redevelopment. We encourage our neighbors to sign up for our newsletter to receive updates on this issue. Feel free to reach out to Emma Kahn at emma@mvmcdc.org or 267-607-3218 for more information.