The Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, through its Roadmap for Growth initiative, hosted a policy forum on mapping Philadelphia’s competitiveness at the University City Science Center’s Quorum. An array of ideas were discussed that ranged from investing in neighborhood infrastructure that can drive private investment to streamlining city regulations and leveraging Philadelphia’s advantage in the life sciences.

The morning’s policy forum featured a keynote address from Managing Director Michael DiBerardinis as well as remarks from Karen Buchholz, Senior Vice President, Administration, Comcast Corporation; Fran Griesing, Founder, Griesing Law LLC; Osagie Imasogie, Senior Managing Partner, Phoenix IP Ventures; Stephen Tang, President  & CEO, University City Science Center; and Sonya Weigle, Principal, North Highland. Jim Rosenfield of NBC 10 moderated the discussion.

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The purpose of the Roadmap’s three policy forums this spring is to build a catalogue of short-term actionable ideas that Philadelphia’s business and civic community can work on in conjunction with the Kenney Administration and City Council. Each program features significant audience participation in bringing ideas to the forefront of the discussion. Some of the ideas highlighted included:

  • Investing in neighborhood infrastructure to drive more private investments in areas that need it;
  • Streamlining regulations and teaching people how to navigate city government through volunteer business ambassadors;
  • Identifying small businesses that need assistance and encouraging larger businesses to contract with them;
  • Making use of Philadelphia’s competitive advantage in the life sciences to drive more investment in the city and region;
  • Creating an environment with tools and technologies that can bring access and inclusion to neighborhoods; and
  • Encouraging government to approach providing services with the customer experience in mind.

We’ve also been discussing these topics online through guest commentary:

Roadmap for Growth: Guest Commentary – Steven S. Bradley »
Roadmap for Growth: Guest Commentary – Francine Friedman Griesing »
Roadmap for Growth: Guest Commentary – Stephen S. Tang »

“We were incredibly pleased with our first Roadmap for Growth policy forum because we were able to provide actionable ideas from diverse perspectives to top Kenney Administration officials,” said Rob Wonderling, President and CEO of the Chamber. “The Chamber is focused on not just convening key players in the city to discuss policy but also honing in on what collective actions can create meaningful change.”

Audience members weighed in with ideas for government to consider, including:

  • Considering different business needs when looking at actions that affect multiple industries;
  • Developing a strategy for inclusive competitiveness that includes immigrants and newcomers to the city;
  • Promoting the strong angel investor network in Philadelphia;
  • Decentralizing community college classes to facilitate more interaction with the private sector; and
  • Providing more opportunities for engagement with younger residents.

Here’s what people had to say on Twitter, find more using #PhillyRoadmap:

The Roadmap for Growth launched in July 2014. Its activities have included eleven Listening Tour meetings, three Issue Forums, a live televised mayoral debate, fact-based demographic and economic analysis, and candidate questionnaires. In December, it released a second report to serve as the basis of a shared agenda with the Kenney Administration and City Council. The Roadmap has engaged with 145 civic organizations over the course of the campaign and added nearly 70 partners. More information about the Roadmap can found at roadmapforgrowth.com.