McPenntrification

[Mark A. Mandel]

Philadelphia. Apparently coined in 1999 or 2000, possibly by the founders of
the organization "Neighbors Against McPenntrification", to derogate the
effect on West Philadelphia [the part of the city west of the Schuylkill
River] of the University of Pennsylvania's real estate projects, including
homebuying assistance for employees. (Full disclosure: I am a beneficiary of
that assistance.)

Blend of
  - gentrification
  - Penn: nickname for the University of Pennsylvania
  - Mc-: prefix referring to McDonald's fast food restaurants, orig.
proprietary for their products and often derogatory for 'homogeneous mass
production devoid or destructive of individuality or local character'. But
also literally referential: see the last citation, which refers to
historical background and the involvement of McDonald's around the apparent
time of coinage.

googits:
about 289 for McPenntrification
about 17 for McPenntrification -Neighbors -Against

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2000 (citation in Black Bottom, June 27, 2004)
History of the Black Bottom [a neighborhood]

References
Neighbors Against McPenntrification. (2000). What does the City Planning
Commission, University City District, and UPENN have in store for you?
[flyer]. Philadelphia, PA.

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February 7, 2001 (found on Daily Penn site)
The Daily Pennsylvanian [student newspaper]
.McPenntrification. will ruin U. City, locals say
By maite amorebieta

Over 200 community members packed into the Newman Center last night for a
town meeting about what the event's organizers call the "McPenntrification"
of West Philadelphia.

Neighbors Against McPenntrification, a community activist organization,
hosted the town meeting, which allowed local residents to vent about some of
the University's ongoing neighborhood initiatives. Many feel Penn's plans
for West Philadelphia may force them from their homes.

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10 May 2001
Rat-list archive [a mailing list]
http://lists.whirl-i-gig.com/pipermail/rat-list/2001-May/005733.html

(unfortunately, west philly has a lot of landlords who buy houses, don't get
them rented, and let them sit there, decaying, waiting for U of Penn to buy
them up at high price...what's known as "mcPenntrification")

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September 9, 2001
[Univ. of Pennsylvania] Undergraduate Assembly General Meeting Minutes
http://dolphin.upenn.edu/~ua/resources/minutes/01-02/9.9%20minutes.doc

Brainstorms
West Philly-IvyCorp, better landlord evaluations (create a booklet with
OCL), McPenntrification, Adopt-a-block, study space west of 40th, bluelight
phones survey, Phily diner.  Meeting Wednesday 4:30 in office.

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The Daily Pennsylvanian
August 28, 2003
End of the road for Rodin : First female Ivy-League president to step down
in '04
http://www.dailypennsylvanian.com/vnews/display.v?TARGET=printable&article_id=3f4da4a448401

Despite neighborhood activists' complaints that the "McPenntrification" of
West Philadelphia has adversely affected residents -- with retail spaces
occupied by new restaurants, galleries and shops -- Rodin said the streets
have become more vibrant and populated at night, and thus safer.

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Week of September 21-27, 2005
Philadelphia Weekly, archives
http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/view.php?id=3633

In 1999, the University City Special Services District, primarily funded by
UPenn, wrote the 40th Street Retail Market Study. It states as one of the
study's recommendations:

"Encourage McDonald's to update and upgrade the appearance of its store at
40th and Walnut streets, which appears not to have been renovated in many
years. Alternatively, work with McDonald's to relocate their store to a
suitable nearby location, and then redevelop this prime parcel into a higher
and better use than the current one-story fast food restaurant."

While I am no fan of McDonald's, the one at 40th and Walnut provides cheap
food for lower-income neighbors in that part of town, especially since so
many of the food trucks have been forced out of high traffic areas near
campus. I also know that many neighbors, myself included, feel alienated by
changes on 40th Street, like the Fresh Grocer, which looks fancier than I
can afford and will take revenue away from more approachable grocery stores,
like Brown's Thriftway at 43rd and Walnut.

McDonald's does not belong at 43rd and Market. It is not appropriate to put
a McDonald's on a residential block.

CHRIS WHITE
WEST PHILADELPHIA

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-- Mark A. Mandel
    Linguistic Data Consortium, University of Pennsylvania