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26 September 08: To repeat:
PHILADELPHIA'S POPULATION IS INCREASING
 In case you missed Nathaniel's latest contribution to The Possible City earlier this week, we'd like to announce it again, since no one else seems to be: PHILADELPHIA'S POPULATION IS INCREASING. With the US Census' release this week of the American Community Survey, most of the media coverage of it related to the finding that immigration is down. Given the climate of immigration relations of the past three or so years, that is no surprise. But a simple sifting through the data shows something that here in Philadelphia we have not seen since the immediate post-World War II boom, and which Mayor Nutter was hoping to achieve in his administration: PHILADELPHIA'S POPULATION IS INCREASING. As Nathaniel mentioned on Wednesday, it's important not to put too much stock into census estimates, because they are estimates. And there's a certain level of validity to claims that the official census, every ten years, has too great a margin of error. BUT. If the estimates that come out every year are good enough for alarmist news stories that Phoenix has surpassed us as fifth most populous city -- that oh shucks, poor old helpless, broke down us, Philadelphia's in an endless drain -- then the census estimates which show that we've actually increased in population (and not just via immigration) should be trumpeted, and trumpeted louder. Again, Philadelphia's figures from 2005 to 2007, directly from the US Census web site: The 2007 estimate has Phoenix at 1,513,777, which is still more than Philadelphia. Who cares. While there's no denying that Phoenix's population has verifiably increased as with so many Sun Belt cities, it's also verifiably puffed up its population numbers -- as with so many Sun Belt cities -- by annexing nearby local communities over the past several decades. That includes the current #4, Houston. In 2005, I compiled a table comparing the change in population and the change in land area of 22 American cities. It is HERE. Between 1950 and 2000, Phoenix's total area increased by an astonishing 2,677%, from 17 square miles to 475 in 2000. Now, in 2008, it's at 517. (Phoenix.gov.) Again, WHO CARES. Philadelphians should care as much about Phoenix as Phoenix does about us. Actually, scratch that. With the amount of "authentic cheesesteak" places in Phoenix, they clearly care more than we do. What's important is that Philadelphia has appeared to reverse its population drain. And no doubt, when the US Census releases its 2010 findings, the official ones, it will tell us what we already know: that Philadelphia has less people than it did in 2000. But suppose these estimates are accurate. Suppose the upward tick continues. In 2020, suppose this rusty old city sees its first increase in 70 years. Wouldn't that be something? In a news week that has included a severe financial crisis, the government's proposed answer to it, and the ungodly murder of another police officer, by someone who should not have even been on the streets, it's high time we celebrate some good news. And if Philly Skyline is the only place that's going to do it, so be it. PHILADELPHIA'S POPULATION IS INCREASING. It's all at the Census, go see for yourself, HERE. –B Love |
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