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Kevin Bacon, brother, Michael, promote competiton honoring their father

Kevin Bacon’s ties to Philadelphia go beyond his residency in and around the city. His father, Ed Bacon, was a famous urban planner who was the first executive director of Philadelphia’s City Planning Commission.

Kevin Bacon's ties to Philadelphia go beyond his residency in and around the city. His father, Edmund Bacon, was a famous urban planner who was the first executive director of Philadelphia's City Planning Commission.

Kevin and his brother, Michael, in honor of their father's legacy, created a video to promote the 2016 Better Philadelphia Challenge: Designing Healthy Neighborhoods, a challenge created to continue their father's legacy. This year's challenge for the annual competition, in its 10th year, is to reimagine parts of the Manuta and Belmont neighborhoods in Philadelphia.

President Obama chose the area as one of five "Promise Zones" around the country, and Better Philadelphia Challenge participants are urged to create designs that "could encourage healthy and active lifestyles, thereby improving public health among residents."

To celebrate the competition's 10th year, professionals and recent graduates are allowed to enter for the first time. Normally, the competition is reserved only for students. Professional and recent graduate submissions will be judged separately from student submissions and two $5,000 prizes will be presented — one for student entries, one for professional entries.

"Help us imagine a better Philadelphia," Kevin says concluding the video.

To find out more about and register for the Better Philadelphia Challenge, which begins in October, visit EdBacon.org.