Is this LOVE?

On the opening of a reinvigorated Dilworth Park last week, Donny James of West Philadelphia nailed it: "Now," he told The Inquirer, "we just have to make sure nobody messes it up, you know, with urine and litter."

It's a rational fear among those familiar with Center City Philadelphia that Dilworth could become more like nearby LOVE Park if it's not protected. Over the years, LOVE Park, formally known as JFK Plaza, has been trashed, misused, and worse. But Paul Levy, head of the Center City District - which marshaled public and private forces to reinvent dreary Dilworth Plaza and the subway access below - says that won't happen.

The district has a 20-year lease to clean and secure the park on the western flank of City Hall. During the day and into the evenings, concerts, movies, displays, and other district programming will keep the park occupied. There are surveillance cameras trained on it and private security officers to patrol it overnight. And uniformed representatives will remind users of the rules, such as those against skateboarding and smoking. If more serious mischief erupts, Levy said, district workers will call the police.

LOVE Park is in line for a much-needed makeover, made more urgent by a vicious midsummer beating. A pair of suburban teenagers attacked a park ranger who had politely asked them to stop skating. Some onlookers were appalled; one laughed. Fortunately, a couple of the bystanders recorded the assault, the ranger escaped with minor injuries, and police quickly arrested the attackers - one of whom was turned in by his own mother. While Center City has gotten safer and cleaner, the beating showed that the progress can be precarious.

Although the $55 million Dilworth overhaul isn't expected to be complete until November, the public already seems to be enjoying it. A recent afternoon crowd casually ate lunch, took pictures, and watched children skip through the fountain. A lawn is planned for the south side of the plaza, and there will be a skating rink in the winter.

Much of the burden of keeping the new Dilworth clean and safe rests with city officials and the Center City District. But the responsibility must be shared by all those who use and appreciate this restored civic space.