Central Philadelphia Development Corporation

CPDC membership provides exclusive access to programming and networking opportunities to expand your business in Center City Philadelphia.

Since its inception, CPDC has undertaken a number of initiatives to make Center City Philadelphia a more competitive place to do business.

Learn more about Industry leaders who are invested in the future of Center City Philadelphia.

Your business belongs in the heart of Philadelphia, the 5th largest metropolitan region in the country, a destination of choice for companies seeking a thriving urban setting.

Join the hundreds of business leaders making a difference in Center City.

This new CCD/CPDC report examines the current state of the downtown restaurant and retail sectors. Using pedestrian, transit and parking occupancy counts and detailed visual surveys of almost 2,000 retail premises, conducted by CCD staff, the report provides a close-up look at business conditions, supplemented with information from the commercial office sector, employment trends, housing market data and ecommerce trends.

As vaccination levels continue to increase, temperatures moderate and the Commonwealth and City allow the gradual return of workers to their offices, Philadelphia’s economic outlook is improving. Jobs, transit riders, pedestrian volumes and the number of occupied outdoor seats at cafes and streeteries in Center City have all increased since the start of the year. In the first week of April, more people walked on Center City’s sidewalks than in any week in 2020.

In October, CPDC surveyed its members and Board members of the CCD to determine what percent of their employees were currently working in the office downtown, the expected timetable for the majority to return, the most important factors that needed to be addressed to facilitate a return to the office, and the biggest advantages of a safe return.

This CCD, CPDC report examines business density and the disparities between the number of Black-owned and white-owned businesses in Philadelphia and compares them to four other East Coast cities.

An online survey of CPDC members and CCD Board was conducted in the last two weeks to determine the expected timing of a return of workers to the office and to assess factors that respondents believe should be addressed to facilitate the return to work.

Greater Center City housing markets showed extraordinary resilience in the last year. While the pandemic impaired many parts of Philadelphia’s economy, the housing sector recovered quickly citywide, buoyed by historically low interest rates and continued interest in city living.

CPDC's bi-weekly newsletter with a roundup of real estate, development, economic, government and other news concerning Center City Philadelphia.

On Wednesday, December 15, CPDC hosted a virtual membership meeting to review the CCD/CPDC’s December monthly update, Monitoring Philadelphia’s Economic Recovery and discuss with industry leaders the current status and future prospects for Center City’s office, health care, technology, retail and residential sectors.

This CCD, CPDC report suggests that Philadelphia should increase its commitment to quality of life investments and resume its prior commitments to tax reduction, in order to retain and attract residents and businesses and spur widespread and inclusive private-sector job growth.