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Hay bales, corn stalks and pumpkins aplenty; Center City District prepares to host Dilworth Park’s annual fall festival with entertainment for guests of all ages.
The steady, incremental lifting of pandemic-related restrictions has enabled retail, restaurant and service businesses gradually to reopen, drawing an increasing number of pedestrians back to Center City’s sidewalks and helping to restore thousands of jobs. This new report from CCD/CPDC tracks the rebound over the last three months.
Beginning this September, Center City District will introduce a full lineup of fall events at Dilworth Park, including a weekend-long Octoberfest, free concerts and the fifth anniversary of Philly’s premiere public space.
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.
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.
CCD is supporting Center City’s recovery through deployment of additional sidewalk ambassadors, bike patrols and homeless outreach teams in partnership with public and private security.
This report by CCD, CPDC examines disparities between the number of Black-owned and white-owned businesses in Philadelphia and compares them to four other East Coast cities
This summer, PNC Bank will once again support local artists by underwriting CCD’s arts and culture programming in Dilworth Park, including Live @ Lunch presented by PNC beginning Wednesday June 1, and continuing every Wednesday and Thursday afternoon through July 28. These small outdoor concerts at lunchtime, featuring a full lineup of musicians representing Philadelphia’s eclectic music scene, will take place from noon-1 p.m. Attendance will be free for all.
The 75-page State of Center City, 2017 report has been released, utilizing the latest research, original reporting and analysis, plus charts and photos to present a downtown that has progressed a long way, but presents a few lingering challenges.
Center City continued to show promising signs of recovery throughout the summer months, buoyed by returning conventions and office workers and increasing numbers of pedestrians who are contributing to rising retail and restaurant sales, local tax revenue, new business openings and increases in convention travel and hotel occupancy.