“The city could be much better at reducing violence … by teaming up with nature,” writes Charles Ellison, host of WURD radio’s Reality Check and a board member of A Greater Philadelphia.

“Both Boston and Philadelphia are great American cities, steeped in history,” writes local attorney Ajay Raju in The Philadelphia Citizen. “But today, Boston has reimagined and reinvented itself as a region of the future.”

“You can‘t invest in a community where business owners are afraid to set up shop or stay open,” writes Jabari Jones, president of the West Philadelphia Corridor Collaborative and a board member of A Greater Philadelphia.