Greg heller

Acknowledgements
I offer my deepest gratitude to Ed Bacon, a man who has been my teacher, inspiration,
co-worker, and companion. I am grateful to him for the uncountable ways he has
affected mylife and shaped my future. I am also grateful for the tremendous impact
he has had on Philadelphia: the beautiful city I call home.
I would like to thank my parents, Janis Weiner and Douglas Heller,for their endless
love, support, and encouragement in all of my endeavors. I also thank my father for
our discussions about Ed Bacon and city planning. A number of the ideas in this thesis
weredeveloped over drinks with my father. I would like to thank my brother,
Robert Heller; my grandmother, Ester Weiner; my grandfather, Jack Heller; my aunt,
Roberta Weiner; and Nancy Parsons for theirlove and support. I also give my thanks
to Tarsah Dale for always believing in me.
There are several people who have had a particularly strong impact in shaping my perception
of the city. These peoplehave continually shared with me their passion for the
city and urban experiences. Thank you to Myra Heller, Jonathan Schmalzbach, Paul
Yoon, Adam Heller, Noah Isenberg, and Andrew Hohns.
Manythanks to Elizabeth Milroy, my dedicated advisor. I look forward to our next
collaboration.
I am grateful to Shari Cooper, Philadelphia’s Northeast Community Planner. I learned
much of what I knowabout the Northeast through my work with Shari. More importantly,
she is singlehandedly bringing life and new hope to a number of Northeast
Philadelphia neighborhoods and countless residents.
I wouldlike to thank Cynthia Horan and Joseph Siry, two professors who have significantly
guided my understanding of the urban environment. I also owe a debt to
Ruth O’Brien, without whom I may never havemet Ed Bacon.
I offer my thanks to Irving Wasserman for making the Far Northeast a reality. I thank
him also for his ongoing assistance in my research. I thank Alexander Garvin for his
advice in...