Sacred Places Summer 2011 | Page 9

with it. Sharing notes and making some initial sketches has illuminated the potential for congregations to benefit from city planning and community development programs. It is clear that effective policy will be guided by a process of triage that focuses help for congregations based on their individual strengths and critical roles in Philadelphia neighborhoods. Knowing what these are will help to more effectively make the case for assistance. To determine what information is available to aid with planning, Partners is working with the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Historical Commission to compile data that can tell us about congregations’ strengths and the condition of their buildings. The Philadelphia City Planning Commission is providing geographic information on neighborhood features, such as commercial corridors and Main Streets, to see how congregations might fit within these initiatives. Partners is also in communication with groups such as the Public Health Management Corporation’s Community Health Data Base, and The Reinvestment Fund, which collects extensive data trends on housing values, to help track congregations’ positive effects on this variable. Their analysis may also help us to see which congregations diminish crime in their neighborhoods. The work that Partners is doing in concert with city agencies will go toward developing a process that helps policymakers address the issue of sacred places at risk. While the challenge of addressing closures over the next few years will be daunting, it need not be overwhelming, and it will ultimately help preserve these vital neighborhood resources. Philadelphia Regional Fund for Sacred Places Advisory Committee The Reverend Dr. Roy G. Almquist Charles B. Casper, Esq. Lary Ceisler Helen Cunningham The Reverend Yvette B. Davis Scott Doyle James Flaherty Melissa Jest Emanuel Kelly, FAIA James Kise, AIA Catherine Lynch Dr. Roger Moss Michael Stern Monica Taylor The Reverend Mark Tyler Geraldine Wang Eric Wilden David Winkowski Sacred Places • Summer 2011 • 8