"The mission of the Design Advocacy Group is to provide an independent and informed public voice for design quality in the architecture and physical planning of the Philadelphia region. Our goal is be proactive as well as reactive; effective as well as thoughtful; critical as well as constructive. We want to create an unparalleled voice for design, a group whose opinion on the quality of our environment is sought after and whose contribution makes a difference. We are a group drawn from a broad spectrum of disciplines, comprised of motivated individuals who are routinely engaged in matters of design, development and planning and who are not afraid to speak out."

The Conservancy's efforts have received considerable support from DAG members Joanne Aitken, George Claflen Jr., and David Brownlee, most notably in the July 8 editorial "No Need to Cross an Ocean."

In her December 6 letter to the Conservancy's executive director Daniel J. McSweeney, Aitken states that "the genius of the plan is that it is organized around an open public space and the beautiful sculptural object of the S.S. United States. Embodying the principles outlined in the Vision Plan for the Central Delaware, the development proposal extends Philadelphia's street grid, permitting pedestrians to look and walk straight through the site to the water without impediment." She concludes that his grand-scale project is "not simply a pipe dream...if there is to be another casino on the waterfront, this is the proverbial win-win - what's stopping us?"