Presentation by Paul Levy, President and CEO, Center City District, Philadelphia.

1. Positioning our downtowns for
sustainable & inclusive growth

2. All American downtowns have been evolving

3. Recovering from decades of decline

4. Transformed by entertainment investments

5. Building a vibrant nighttime economy

6. Emerging as attractive places to live

7. But also reinforcing their role as competitive places to work

8. All part of diversification of American downtowns

9. What is the role of our downtown organizations?

10. Philadelphia: very different city, but on a similar path

11. We have evolved from a manufacturing city

12. Built a new office district beginning in 1960s

13. Capitalizing on legacy of a regional transit system
310,000 riders/day take transit into downtown
Provides employers easy access to 360 degree labor market

14. In the last 25 years, we diversified downtown
through investments in arts & entertainment

15. Added new museums & cultural institutions

16. Expanded our visitor attractions

17. Built a thriving nighttime economy

18. Downtown is the fastest growing
residential area in the region

19. Filled with young professionals & empty nesters
46% of residents in the core, ages 20-34
75% of downtown residents BA degree;

20. Growing number of families with children

21. Like you, we have positioned our downtown
as a place to live, work & play

22. Nationally, since 2009 we’ve been living through
an urban led economic recovery
National economy
+1.7% per year

23. Acknowledge significant differences
2nd fastest growing city in the United States
Philadelphia 1.5%/year
Nashville
+3.7%/year

24. Nashville: 660,000; Region 1,930,000
Philadelphia: 1,584,000; Region 6,096,000

25. City population grown 11% since 2010;
Philadelphia has grown by 3.8%

26. We need to capitalize on this cycle of growth
It will not continue forever

27. Origin & evolution of our downtown organization

28. CCD formed in 1990: office boom transformed skyline

29. A degraded & squalid public environment

30. Substantial ground & upper floor vacancy

31. Neglected facades, solid security gates
Limited retail services

32. 9 to 5 downtown; empty streets at night

33. 1991: CCD 1.0
Focus on the basics – clean & safe

34. We drew a large boundary with
1600 properties, 220 city blocks

35. Each walkway swept manually minimum 3 x day

36. Mechanical cleaning 2 x morning; 2 x afternoon

37. Pressure washing sidewalks
Continuous graffiti removal from first floor
During warm weather months

38. 63% of survey respondents
Say Center City “much cleaner” than rest of the city

39. • 52 CSR’s
• 6 Supervisors
• 7 days per week
Public safety
Community Service Representatives
Eyes & ears of police + walking hotel concierge
40

40. Unique partnership with Philadelphia police

41. Police Substation in CCD offices
Where Police & CSRs stand joint roll call
Jointly plan deployment strategies

42. Dedicated foot & bicycle patrol
Assigned only to the CCD

43. Since 1995 serious crimes cut in half
declined from 18.2 to 9.9/day
Even as population & activity increased downtown

44. 45
79% feel safe “most of the time” or “always”

45. CCD has funded a combined outreach effort:
Social service, police & CSRs working together: 5 days/week

46. In 2018: 137 individuals came off streets
2019: 120 people have connected with services
No arrests; no citations

47. CCD 1.5: BID as public space manager

48. Every piece of public furniture is in a GIS base
Record all deficiencies in GPS enabled tablets

49. Email to municipal & state agencies responsible

50. Early 1990s: just clean & safe

51. Mid 1990s, significant investments:
arts & entertainment

52. 243 cultural institutions across Center City

53. 1993: Public investment: hospitality
Pennsylvania Convention Center

54. 1 million square foot facility

55. Dramatic increase in visitation

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

57. Starting at Liberty Bell & Independence Hall

58. We added a new visitors center

59. New Constitution Center

60. President’s House: acknowledging the presence of
slavery that limited promise of our democracy

61. Museum of the American Revolution

62. Hotel occupancy & room rates at all time high
Adding & absorbing new supply

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

64. Continuous growth in fine dining restaurants
468
2005 2010 2019
400
350
300
65 in 1992

65. 6 468 full-service restaurants

66. Largest retail promotion: 2 x year:
Restaurant Week

67. 68
Started last Sunday!

68. Flourishing of sidewalk cafes

69. 1995 = zero

70. Steady increase 2001-2018
https://centercityphila.org/research-reports/outdoor-seating-2018

71. 2
433 outdoor cafes

72. After work amenities
Promote bars & outdoor cafes: SIPs

73. Print & social media: Promote Center City shopping

74. CCD 2.0: Improving the product
1996: financed $26 million streetscape improvements

75. Installed and maintain: 800 trees; 72 planters

76. In process of adding 200 more trees

77. Installed & maintain: 683 pedestrian maps & signs

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

79. Route maps and historic images at bus stops

80. Graphics for 108 entrances to underground

81. .
1
Doubled nighttime illumination
2,300 Pedestrian-scale lights

82. Pedestrian light fixtures, 75% of downtown sidewalks

83. Creates a sense of evening safety

84. Building façade lighting on Avenue of the Arts

85. Animating the city at night

86. 87
Maintain significant on-street assets
maintain those investments

87. 2018: 3,556 banners for 70 non-profit groups

88. 1996 CCD study: Turning on the Lights Upstairs
4.5 million sf. vacant Class “C” office space
1997: 10 year tax abatement: citywide
• 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.

89. Significant growth in downtown housing: 1998–2018:
180 buildings converted to residential use

90. 1
Expanded in 2000 to include new construction

91. vv
Since 2000: 26,195 new housing units
Population up 22% to 193,000;

92. Fastest growing section of the city
25% who moved to PHL between 2000-2018 moved downtown

93. So too in Nashville
your downtown is growing faster than city

94. Driven by job growth & appeal of live/work settings
Another 12% of in-movers, 2000-2018: University City

95. Situated to the west of our downtown: Penn & Drexel

96. Similar to Vanderbilt University’s campus

97. 42% of employed CC residents work downtown;
another 12% commute to University City.

98. 63% of residents get to work without a car;
39% in core walk to work

99. 46% of residents in the core, ages 20-34
75% in core have a BA degree; 50% in extended

100. Knowledge workers drive the new economy

101. Suburban firms are locating downtown
to be near talent & start-ups

102. This age cohort nationally
is currently tending to live
alone, marry later, have
smaller families and delay
homeownership.
They constitute a major
source of demand for
downtown’s surging rental
supply.
But the millennial peak is
particularly pronounced in
cities & the drop-off behind
them is more dramatic than
in the nation or
surrounding region
Caution: Millennials aren’t forever

103. Millennial peak: impact of colleges & universities

104. Nationally: there are less 17 year olds than 27 year olds

105. Nashville has a good balance of demand
Continued job growth, schools & amenities

106. Steady increase children born to downtown parents

107. In today’s Center City, if you don’t trip over a
sidewalk café you’ll get run over by a stroller

108. We’ve partnered with our public schools
& parents groups to promote downtown schools
Resident& worker retention

109. 75% of children living in Greater Center City
Attend one of 19 elementary public schools between Girard & Tasker
67% attend their catchment area
(neighborhood) school

110. Increase emphasis on public amenities
CCD 3.0: 2008 Improving public spaces: Cret Park
”

111. Started with neglected empty space

112. Create thriving gateway to Parkway cultural district

113. Café revenue pledged to park maintenance

114. Collins Park, 1700 block Chestnut Street

115. Successful location for rental events
RENTAL HIGHLIGHTS

116. In 2012: Sister Cities Park

117. Took a barren and forgotten space

118. And transformed it with a cafe

119. Into a place for families with children

120. Very successful water fountain

121. Took a solitary neglected statue

122. Wrapped a children’s garden around it

123. With a pond

124. And climbing mountain

125. Attractive for all ages: amenity for office workers

126. Completed $60 million renovation in September 2014

127. Barren failed space over transit lines

128. Completely reconstructed two levels
+ accessibility to transit

129. Designed as a flexible space
120,000 sf + 40,000 subway concourse

130. Walk directly in from the street

131. Goal: Create first-class gateway to transit

132. A place for people to read & relax

133. See local performing artists

134. Café: at northern end

135. Attractive water feature

137. Flexible design portions turn off for events

138. Parties & weddings

139. Location becomes winter ice rink

140. Holiday markets

141. Lawn & coffee stand at southern end

142. Program events

143. Movies

144. In winter it becomes a holiday maze

145. IBX Deck the Hall Light Show

146. Full winter deployment

147. Gone from this……

148. To year-round attractions in the park

149. To 10.8 million visitors in 2018

150. Manage 5 parks within our District

151. Including our version of the High Line: Rail Park

152. In an emerging live-work neighborhood

153. Since 1997: $47.5 million from CCD leveraged $101 million
= $148.5 million in capital investments

154. CCD has growth from $6.5 million in 1991
$26.5 million operating budget in 2019
Largely through rising values in improving downtown

155. A place that holds 42% of all jobs in Philadelphia

156. Center City (42.2%) + University City (10.5%)
8% of land-area = 53% of all jobs in Philadelphia

157. Huge income disparities in the city: poverty

158. 5
9 Disparities in labor participation rates:
While 90% Center City’s adults are engaged in the workforce
Drops to 49% in North Philadelphia & 59% in Lower Northeast

159. We focus extensively on the role of downtown’s
310,000 jobs in the city’s overall economy

160. 6
1 Office sector: 40% of employment, 130,000 jobs
Average wage = $91,300.year

161. Every 500,000 square feet of
occupied office space:
 Provides 3,333 jobs +
5 building engineers
18 cleaners/janitors
12 security positions.
 Every time tenants turn
over, construction trades
renovate space.
 Supports 11,000 hotel
rooms filled with business
travelers.
 Generates $2.8 million in
retail demand.

162. 6
3 20% of downtown employment = 62,000 jobs

163. 6
4 Center City holds 14 colleges & universities,
5 hospitals & medical schools
Average wage = $60,000
Many technical & service jobs

164. Each year colleges import huge crop of 18 year-olds
Source of housing & retail demand

165. Higher education institutions conferred
29,059 degrees in 2018
28% in health care
21% STEM (science, technology, engineering, math)
18% in business

166. Provide a huge pool of skilled labor
Attractive to employers: talent advantage

167. 6
8Leisure & Hospitality = 35,400, 11.6% downtown jobs
Average salary = $31,000/year

168. Downtown employment = Inclusive employment
33% jobs require only HS diploma;
30% require an Associates degree
37% BA degree or higher

169. At the center of the regional transit system
50% of neighborhood residents
Can commute downtown in 30 minutes or less

170. 25% of residents from every city neighborhood
Work downtown; 52.5 % of jobs held by city residents
307,000

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

172. Thriving with day & nighttime activities

173. GGG
A growing realm of high-quality public spaces

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

175. $6.2 billion in new development just completed or concluding
New Comcast & Aramark buildings; 1,923 hotel rooms,
3,017 housing units under construction

176. 7
7 Our downtowns are well-positioned for growth

177. Nashville: 2 major areas of concentrated employment
Series of other small nodes; all job locations are important

178. 25% of all jobs are downtown or within one mile
22% of all workers in city, work downtown

179. Huge benefits of density to both firms & employees

180. Focusing on amenities for 21st century workforce
In live-work & walkable downtown is key to competiveness

181. We live an urban moment that we should not waste
We must invest in our neighborhoods
But downtown job growth drives the city & region’s economy
Paul R. Levy
Center City District
www.centercityphila.org