And many of those cities are taking a considerably harder line than Philadelphia.

Increasingly, the response elsewhere has been to make loitering, sleeping in parks, and panhandling crimes, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless in Washington.

That is in contrast to Philadelphia. Officials here have taken a more laissez faire approach to the dozens of homeless who have taken to using Rittenhouse Square as a campground, sleeping on benches and bathing in the fountain.

More and more cities, too, are clamping down on groups trying to help by banning them from handing out free meals in parks, the coalition reported.

Las Vegas has outlawed mass feedings in parks.

Dallas has fines of $2,000 for groups that hand out meals without permits.

"When cities pass these laws, they're tired of the homeless problem. They want it to go away," said Michael Stoops, acting executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless.

In a 2006 survey of 224 cities, the coalition found that 44 percent had some form of ban against "camping" - either in particular spots or citywide.

With begging, 64 percent had bans - again, either targeted or citywide.

In Philadelphia, the number of homeless people encamped in the city's parks and public spaces dipped in the spring to 291 but started to rise in the summer, police say. Parks such as Rittenhouse Square, JFK Plaza, and the greenway along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway are particular hot spots.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey said in an interview that he saw no need to ramp up enforcement of laws that ban sleeping in parks and public places.

"We can make people move along. We can't arrest them for simply being homeless, nor should we," Ramsey said.

Ramsey said he also saw no need to increase the police presence in high-profile parks such as Rittenhouse Square, where about three dozen people encamp on any given night. "My focus right now is violent crime," he said.

Ramsey added that the approach to homelessness "has to be much broader than just police. There has to be alternatives - housing, other forms of shelter, places where people can feel safe."

Here is how some other cities deal with homeless populations in parks.

Orlando

Someone begging has to stand in a 3-by-15-foot "panhandling zone," painted blue on the sidewalk. Those who stray beyond the zone face arrest.

Sleeping in parks is banned.

Most recently, the city has clamped down on food handouts to the homeless, particularly around Lake Eola Park.