Welcome to 40th Street - University City's vibrant link between people and communities - a reflection of the robust and diverse cultures that contribute to the character of this very public place. It's the place where the University of Pennsylvania and West Philadelphia meet. It's a place where local merchants, residents, University students and visitors participate in the time-honored exchange of commerce and culture - an exchange that is the foundation for the great civic spaces of our times.

40th Street is about history and planning, about a multiplicity of visions, uses and users. It is part of an evolving continuum of time and people and place. And it's also about the future - about coming to a common understanding of what makes for a great street in the heart of a neighborhood that holds so many riches - of people, traditions, culture and knowledge.

And so, Penn Praxis of the School of Design of the University of Pennsylvania is hosting a series of community forums about 40th street and its role in the life of our community. These pages offer you the opportunity to be a part of this conversation. Here you will find a wealth of information about this public conversation. The links above, and particularly the forum, offer you a place to add your voice to the many who feel passionately about 40th Street.

Welcome to 40th Street - we hope you come back often.