Product No.: 07043
Date Published: 01/2007
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In 1993, DVRPC published the first Rating the Region report, which compared the Philadelphia metropolitan area to the nation's nine other largest metros plus Pittsburgh and Baltimore as regional competitors. That report found that the Philadelphia region had one of the nation's most diverse economies, low unemployment, a low poverty rate, affordable housing, relatively low taxes, short commute times, and a multitude of colleges, universities, and hospitals. This 2007 version of Rating the Region updates the 1993 report, providing an objective, quantifiable analysis of the relative strengths and weaknesses of the Delaware Valley region. Using comparable data from the Census Bureau and other Federal agencies, existing conditions and trends of the region are measured against other metropolitan regions around the country. The report compares the metropolitan areas in terms of their human environment (including diversity, age, income, education, health, and safety); the economy; the built and natural environment (including density, housing characteristics, residential construction, and urban parkland); transportation; and the civic environment (including representation, taxes, revenue, expenditures, conservation funding, and arts and culture). Based on this analysis, the Delaware Valley continues to offer a diverse economy, affordable housing opportunities, a quality highway and transit network, short commute times, quality air and port facilities, a large number of colleges, universities, and cultural opportunities, and an extensive health care network. These strengths, however, threaten to be checked by regional challenges, such as urban concentrations of poverty and unemployment, low labor force participation, poor educational attainment in its cities, a rapidly aging population, and fragmented local government. The challenge facing the region is capitalizing and building on its strengths while recognizing and working to address its identified weaknesses.Geographic Area Covered: The nation's eleven largest metropolitan statistical areas (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Philadelphia, Houston, Miami, Washington DC, Atlanta, Detroit, and Boston) plus the Baltimore MSA and the Pittsburgh MSA.
Key Words: Metropolitan statistical area (MSA), the human environment, the economy, the built and natural environment, transportation, the civic environment, regional strengths, regional challenges
Staff Contact(s)
- Brett Fusco (bfusco@dvrpc.org)
Translation Request
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Title VI Statement
In effect as of January 30, 2025
The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) fully complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987, and related nondiscrimination mandates in all programs and activities. DVRPC is committed to ensuring that no person is excluded from participation in, or denied the benefits of, all programs and activities on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or income level, as protected by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other related nondiscrimination mandates.
DVRPC's website, www.dvrpc.org, may be translated into multiple languages. Publications and other public documents can be made available in alternative languages and formats, if requested. DVRPC’s public meetings are always held in ADA-accessible facilities and in transit-accessible locations whenever possible. DVRPC will work to accommodate all reasonable requests for translation, interpretation, accommodations or other auxiliary services and encourages that requests be made at least seven days prior to a public meeting. Requests can be made by contacting the Commission’s ADA and Title VI Compliance Officer Shoshana Akins via email at public_affairs@dvrpc.org, calling (215) 592-1800, or while registering for an upcoming meeting.
Any person who believes they have been aggrieved by an unlawful discriminatory practice by DVRPC under Title VI has a right to file a formal complaint. Any such complaint must be in writing and filed with DVRPC's ADA and Title VI Compliance Officer Shoshana Akins and/or the appropriate state or federal agency within 180 days of the alleged discriminatory occurrence. Complaints that a program, service, or activity of DVRPC is not accessible to persons with disabilities should be directed to Shoshana Akins as well. For more information on DVRPC's Title VI program or to obtain a Title VI Complaint Form, please visit: www.dvrpc.org/GetInvolved/TitleVI, call (215) 592-1800, or email public_affairs@dvrpc.org.