Research & Reports

This is a transformational moment for Philadelphia, when investments in economic development funded by the American Rescue Plan (ARP) can be combined with the long-recommended changes to Philadelphia's tax structure to prompt faster and more equitable citywide job growth.

The pandemic has dramatically highlighted the interdependence of the diverse components of the Center City economy. Downtown offices drive demand for retail and restaurants and attract business travelers. Colleges and universities create demand for apartments, retail and restaurants, and supply graduates who replenish the workforce. Arts and cultural institutions draw regional visitors and tourists, and convention attendees book hotels and restaurants. Remove any of these interconnected components and vitality is challenged, while revenues that support citywide services are curtailed.

Demand for Center City retail has been built upon a diversified base of office, education and health care workers, a large and growing downtown population and an expanding number of tourists and convention attendees. At the center of the region’s highway and transit system, Center City is the most concentrated employment node in the region, hosting 42% of Philadelphia’s jobs, creating opportunity for residents of all city neighborhoods and surrounding counties.

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.

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