You Searched
CCD is starting repairs at the southern end of Dilworth Park to the glass head house that provides public access to SEPTA’s subways and trolleys. New custom-made glass was fabricated to replace several damaged panels, which are made of multiple layers of laminated structural safety glass.
Jobs are back, salaries are rising, Center City’s population continues growing, conventions, tourism and retail are all rebounding, and pedestrian vitality is almost fully restored in many portions of the downtown. Office vacancy, however, is rising, challenged by a partial return to office and reinforced by a wage tax that encourages suburban residents to remain remote.
At a fundraiser at Dilworth Park attended by 650 people, business leaders marking the 25th anniversary of the Center City District and the 60th anniversary of Central Philadelphia Development Corporation gathered as the Center City District Foundation (CCDF) announced an expanded role and new board.
CCD, with support from Rittenhouse Row and the City of Philadelphia, plans to transform one of Philadelphia’s most popular shopping and dining destinations, 18th Street from Locust to Chestnut and Walnut Street from 15th to 19th, by temporarily closing streets to vehicular traffic.
Many of the most iconic buildings and landmarks in Philadelphia will shine blue next Tuesday in honor of World Health Day and the heroic health care workers and first responders battling the COVID-19 pandemic.
This annual housing report examines Center City Philadelphia's residential sector momentum and the cumulative effects of three decades of growth, the rebound from 2020 and its impact on housing markets, new and upcoming residential developments and homeownership trends, and the status of the rental market.
To extend the holiday shopping and entertainment into the New Year, Center City District (CCD) is sponsoring Restaurant Week, beginning Sunday, January 9 and continuing through Friday, January 21, 2022. Dozens of local restaurants will participate in this biannual prix-fixe dining promotion that highlights some of the city’s most diverse culinary venues.
Center City’s retailers, restaurants and street-level service business are rebounding from the pandemic, supported by the third-largest downtown residential population in the U.S. and by returning volumes of city and regional shoppers, college students, tourists and convention attendees and a steadily rising number of office workers.
Citywide employment has fully rebounded from the spring 2020 shutdown with 2.4% more jobs in October 2023 than in February 2020. But there is a difference between the return of workers to payrolls and the return of full vitality to Center City. The report suggests ways to accelerate the job growth and business formation rates in Philadelphia.
While Center City is enjoying continuing signs of recovery, including more daily pedestrians and transit riders, and more retail and restaurant openings, an accelerated return-to-office timetable is essential to a more robust recovery.