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 Center City District and Central Philadelphia Development Corporation monthly report on the Philadelphia economy and the vitality of Center City shows that the employment rebound in the summer and fall began to stall in November. By contrast, housing markets remain strong and restaurants are finding multiple ways to sustain their business. Once a well-organized vaccination program begins nationally with sufficient supply and major employers begin to reopen their offices, signs should point to a more robust recovery by spring 2021.

Center City Philadelphia is the largest employment node in the nation’s eighth most populous metro area. While the pandemic seriously affected retail sales nationally in 2020, this sector has proved resilient in Philadelphia. Retailers have gradually reopened, relying on new safety protocols to sustain recovery. Many restaurants are providing protected and heated outdoor seating and relying on take-out through the cold winter months.

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.

This summer, CCD staff surveyed the number of restaurants currently providing outdoor seating, including new streeteries, within the district boundaries. Outdoor dining has been an indicator of Center City’s vibrancy since sidewalk cafés were first authorized. As the current number of restaurants providing take out or serving outdoors continues to expand, Center City is slowly and cautiously beginning to recover.

Conditions prior to the current crisis. Philadelphia will rebound; underlying fundamentals remain strong. When recovery comes, we have strengths to build on, challenges to address.

A bi-weekly roundup of real estate, development, economic, government and other news concerning Center City.

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.