1. The transformation of Center City Philadelphia
into a 24 hour downtown

2. Philadelphia: one of the original colonial cities

3. William Penn’s grid positioned at
narrowest point between two rivers

4. Founded 1682: Plan - Center Square + 4 public squares

5. Enduring urban form: Original city = Center City

6. Broad & Market Streets

7. Five public squares

8. Logan
Franklin
Rittenhouse
Washington

9. Legacy: human-scale, walkable city

10. While this made us obsolete: 1950s-1970s

11. Re-infused with value in the post-petroleum age:
Dense, diverse & walkable = sustainable

12. Inherit an industrial past

13. Largest 19th century industrial city in North America
With major industries: Stetson Hat Factory

14. Baldwin Locomotives

15. Large factories often developers of rowhouses

16. Gave life to our waterfront

17. Many small shops across all older neighborhoods;
1906: 16,000 manufacturing plants
Unlike Pittsburgh & Detroit not a one-industry town
Highly diversified

19. Accelerated immediately after World War II
Factories were moving out the city

20. De-industrialization coincided with America’s
attachment to cheap fuel & large cars

21. Federal policies that gave priority to the car

22. Resulted residential abandonment; population loss

23. Total Population: 1880-2008
Philadelphia & Its Suburbs
Declining share of regional residents
6,000,000
5,000,000
4,000,000
3,000,000
Suburbs
2,000,000
2.1 million
1,000,000
City
0
10
20
30
80
90
00
40
50
60
08
70
80
90
00
18
18
19
20
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
20

24. Red blighted areas = old manufacturing areas

25. Sad, vacant ruins visible from Amtrak

26. P ie r s w e r e le f t t o d e t e r io r a t e

27. Inherit successful downtown revitalization program
that has built a post-industrial city

28. 1956: 567 properties designated for preservation

29. Philadelphia has a long tradition of downtown living

30. 1950s: Creation of modern new Office District

31. 1953: the demolition of “Chinese wall”

32. Penn Center

33. 1960s & 1970s: all buildings connected to transit

34. 1980s: Linked Pennsylvania & Reading Railroad
into integrated regional rail system

35. Employers: easy access to 360 degree labor market
295,000 riders/day take transit into downtown

36. 1980s office boom:

37. 1990: 38 million s.f. of office space

38. Similar process of renewal in University City

39. Temple University: educational & medical campuses

40. The emerging employment center at the Navy Yard

41. All the city’s major employment centers are result
Of major strategic investments
55% of all private sector jobs
In 5 post-industrial nodes

42. Philadelphia is a major center of office employment

43. A major center for research & health care

44. Global center for education

45. Maintained careful balance of small & large scale

46. Integrating old & new

47. 1990: A degraded public environment:
Declining resources for cities

48. Substantial ground & upper floor vacancy

49. Neglected facades, solid security gates

50. 9 to 5 downtown; empty streets at night

51. Losing office market share to suburbs

52. Origin of the CCD: 1990 Recession
• Fiscal crisis
• Declining city services
• Job loss
• Office vacancy
• “pride of avoidance”

53. Creating the Center City District
Municipality Authorities Act of 1945
1990
• 2,100 property owners &
local government approve
a special services district
1991: $6.5 million
Reauthorized 1994 (2015)
Expanded 1995 (MSE)
Reauthorized 2004 (2025)
Reauthorized 2007 (2025)
2012: $19.5 million

54. CCD boundaries: 220 blocks, 5,118 properties

55. 1991: Focus on the basics – comprehensive cleaning

56. 65% of survey respondents
Say Center City “much cleaner” than rest of the city

57. Community Service Representatives
Deployment
• 42 CSR’s
• 4 Supervisors
• 7 days per week

58. Community Service Representatives
• First Aid / CPR certified
• A walking “hotel concierge”

59. Daily combined roll-call

60. Substantial long-term trend: 1993-2011
• 45% drop in major crime in CCD
• 77.3% drop in theft-from-auto
•“Halo” effect outside CCD boundaries

61. 81% feel safe “most of the time” or “always”
Perception of safety

62. 1992: Public investment: arts & entertainment
Diversifying downtown land-use

63. Renovated historic theaters

64. Built new theaters

65. 2002: Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
4,000 seats added

66. New home for Philadelphia Theater Company

67. Stimulated residential development

68. Center City today is rich with cultural amenities

69. 2nd behind only New York City
Number of Arts & Cultural organizations downtown

70. Both performing arts

71. & museums are seeing increased attendance

72. Continued to reinvest & expand

73. The Barnes Foundation

74. A new destination on the Parkway

75. Public investment: hospitality
Pennsylvania Convention Center: 1993

76. Prompted private investment in new hotels:
reused vacant buildings

77. Creating a new convention district

78. A 95% increase in hotel rooms

79. Nearly all within 15 minute walk

80. 2001: New Independence Visitors Center

81. New home for Liberty Bell

82. #1 & #2 most visited destinations in the city

83. New Constitution Center
Diversifying the hospitality industry

84. New attractions have recently opened
National Museum of American Jewish History

85. President’s House

86. Steady growth in domestic travel

87. Overseas visitation rebounding from recession

88. We have added many new reasons for people
to come to Center City

89. More customers = improving retail mix

90. 42% of expenditures of hotel guests
Spent outside hotel on shopping & dining
GPTMC

91. Combined with growth of downtown population
$491 million within 30 minute walk of City Hall

92. 3 2 2 % g r o w t h in f in e d in in g
re s ta ura nts
274
65 in 1992

93. Flourishing of sidewalk cafes

94. 1995 = zero

95. 2002

96. 2003

97. 2004

98. 2005

99. 2006

100. 2007

101. 2008

102. 2009

103. 2010:

104. 273 cafes in 2011

105. People attract people

106. Growth of self-sustaining evening economy

107. Financing public area improvements
1994
• 20-year reauthorization
1995
• $21 million tax-exempt
bond issue backed only
by CCD revenues
• +$5 million City funding

108. 1996: Streetscape Improvements
• 893 trees; 72 planters

109. Visitor- friendly: 683 pedestrian maps & signs

110. Integrated with 233 signs for motorist
that the CCD also maintains

111. Making Transit More Customer Friendly

112. Route maps and historic images

113. New graphics for 108 entrances to underground

114. 1
2,032 Pedestrian-scale lights
Doubled nighttime illumination
.

115. Completed 2/3 of all streets in last decade

116. Supports the evening economy

117. Focused on small-scale incremental changes that add up
C:
Document a Setings ev Deskt 17t Steetpl nt s 20 7.J
s nd t pl y op h r a er 0 PG

118. Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Comprehensive lighting program

119. 222 new pedestrian & 132 vehicular lights

120. Interpretative signs

121. Illuminated 14 major public sculptures

122. Facades of 8 major civic buildings

123. Culminated in November 2004
Lighting of City Hall
From 7 adjacent buildings

124. 2005 City Hall Holiday Lighting

125. D e c e m b e r 2 0 0 8 illu m in a t e d 9 b u ild in g
fa c a d e s

126. September 2008 opened our first commercial café
As part of a park renovation project

127. Speciality lighting to animate public spaces
3 JFK underpasses

128. Renovated Chestnut Park

129. A quiet gathering place

130. But also a place to get a bite to eat

131. $68 million
capital improvements

132. Residential revival
1996: 4.5 million sf. Vacant Class “C” office space
• Retained architect &
developer to evaluate
buildings
• Survey to determine best
buildings; floor layout,
window size & exposure
• Detailed economic analysis
of 10 buildings: evaluation
for code compliance, cost-
estimate, pro-formas.

133. 10 year residential tax abatement
Approved 1997
• Extraordinary costs of
converting from vacant
office or industrial to
residential use
• 10 year abatement on
improvements
• Available city wide

134. 1998–2011: 171 buildings of all sizes
Converted to residential use

135. Since 1997 added 13,000 new units of housing

136. 10.2% increase in population since 2000
26% in core of downtown
Since 1990
8 Zip codes = 7.8 sq miles
5.7% of city’s land area
hold 12% = 181,003
Fastest growing
Most densely settled

137. Center City attracting more younger people than rest of city
41% of downtown: ages 25-44; city = 28%

138. Center City has more than twice the national
average of residents ages 25-34.

140. Close proximity that makes us
#1 nationally: walk to work – 38%; 22% public transit

141. Diversification of CBD land-use
25,000 residents now living inside CCD boundaries
25,000

142. Continuing rental remand
33,578 students downtown; 84,876 adjacent

143. 58% of seniors are “somewhat” to “very likely”
to stay after graduation
Campus Philly survey

144. Significant volumes of returning empty nesters
& they have driven up housing prices

145. Average residential sale price: 2.26 x citywide

146. Younger home-buyers are moving outward

147. Citywide 20% of residents work downtown
In core 40-50% downtown; 11.2% in University City

148. Extended neighborhoods rapidly approaching 40%

149. These outer areas greatest increase in bike & bus
commuting to work.

150. Educational levels continue to rise
BA Degree Graduate Degree

151. These are the well-educated workers that employers want
Residents start to play a role in attracting business

152. Big opportunity: 22,710 children were born to
Greater Center City parents from 2000 to 2011

153. Parents groups now actively involved in plans
To improve playgrounds

154. Coalition to improve downtown schools

155. Expanded schools website to serve these families
E

156. Reflected in our capital priorities: Sister Cities Park

157. Generous landscaping, new fountain,
Children’s discovery garden, café, community
facility

158. Sister Cities fountain

159. Philadelphia at the center of the universe

160. Names of Sister Cities

161. Height of water jet related to size of populati

163. Children’s discovery garden: ages 2-8

164. Recreation of the Wissahickon

166. Boat pond, discovery garden in background

168. Café overlooking the boat pond

169. Café building

170. Competitively selected operator

171. Revenues support operations of park

172. Branch of official Visitors Center

173. Extensive outdoor seating

174. Seating looks over the boat pond

175. Looks back on the office from which
You are playing hooky for the afternoon

176. Biggest sign of change

177. Contrast to 1970s

178. How did Philadelphia fare in the recession?

179. Housing production dropped dramatically
for condos & single family houses

180. Demand for rental remains strong

181. Rents continue to rise

182. Planned apartments are starting construction
Eds & meds as prime driver

183. Population continues to rise
Core = Vine to Pine; Extended = Girard to Tasker

184. Average daily hotel room rates initially declined

185. Center recently doubled in size

186. Expansion complete; 2,000 room shortage
Room rates are rebounding

187. Average daily rate for Center City hotels

188. Leisure & hospitality job growth outperformed suburbs

189. Office occupancy rates declined

190. But in general, most CBD office districts have
outperformed their suburbs.
Philadelphia: #3 behind Wash DC & NYC holding occupancy levels

191. Philadelphia has a very high concentration
in eds & meds

192. Philadelphia’s share is double national average
of 18% in education & health

193. Much higher than east coast peers

194. Education & health care employment added jobs in
all but 6 of the last 60 months
Philadelphia’s primary buffer against recession

195. Jeff, Drexel, Penn & CHOP all expanding downtown

196. Education & health care job growth outperformed suburbs

197. Next on the agenda: Invest in regional infrastructure

198. #1: Expanding runway capacity
Philadelphia International Airport

199. Allow simultaneous take-off & landing

200. #2: Big opportunity
Capitalize on national support for high-speed rail

201. Long-shot, game-changer: High speed rail
38 minutes to NYC; 67 minutes to Washington DC

202. Stopping both in Center City & PHL Airport

203. Strategic infrastructure investments at city level
Organized around job centers
55% of Philadelphia’s jobs
are in just 5 clusters of
post-industrial employment

205. Largest center of employment in region
$12.1 billion salaries to metro residents

206. University City: rapidly expanding

207. Research & development clustered in 4 nodes
National Institute
of Health (NIH)
Research Funds:
2007

208. These 2 employment nodes: 51% private sector jobs
Well-connected to region by public transit

209. Invest first to connect city’s two largest
employment & research nodes: 51% of jobs

210. Fill in the thinned out,
underperforming western edge
21st Street 22nd Street 23rd Street
Market Street

211. Center City + University City
Front to 40th: one continuous business district
Area well-served by existing transit

212. (1) Enhance subway-surface & subway lines

213. With new transit signs + real time information

216. (2) Green & calm major streets in office district

217. Improve barren plazas

218. New green public amenities

219. Encourage more active ground-floor retail

220. Enhance landscaping & bicycle infrastructure

221. Page 6

222. Conceptual design complete:

223. (3) Improve visibility of local transit at 30th St Station

224. Improve the quality of public spaces

225. Improve the quality of public spaces

226. Small scale investments make a difference
Enhance connection between AMTRAK & SEPTA

227. (4) Create a new civic space at Dilworth plaza

228. New gateway to regional transit

229. New outdoor cafe

230. Visible from Convention Center; views up Parkway

231. New green amenities

232. Curved benches

233. Illuminated at night

234. Fountain on the north
La w n

235. A thin sheet of water you can walk on
FOUNTAIN

236. 3 foot high programmed jets

240. (5) Finish MSE: Stimulate movement between major
destinations at either end of the street
Conven
tion Center
City Hall
Market S
tr eet East
Independence
Mall
8 City Blocks 3500 Feet 2/3 of a Mile

241. Make Market Street: primary hospitality &
destination retail/entertainment corridor

242. Transform the Gallery

244. Create a continuous exciting retail experience
From 8th Street

245. Animate the sidewalks with retail

246. Gateway & connector to Chinatown & Convention Ctr

247. We have a highly successful, walkable downtown
With a diversity of uses

248. Well-linked to the region with highway & rail

249. Thriving with day and nighttime activities

250. Re-infused with value in the post-petroleum age:
Dense, diverse & walkable = sustainable

251. Assessment trends 1991-2011:
Diversification pays dividends

252. Thriving center of opportunity for the city & region
www.centercityphila.org