The Center City District has published its annual “State of Center City” report. The entire report is located at centercityphila.org. The Center City District is funded by a tax on all Center City residents and businesses and is re- sponsible for street cleaning and promotion of Center City as a viable residential, business and tourist neighborhood.
In large measure, the report compares Center City 2024 with 2019, the pre-pandemic time. Here are some highlights:
- 84% of total pedestrian volume has returned to Center City compared to 2019. However, this means that pedestrian volume is 16% less now than in 2019.
- On an ordinary day, 70% of non-resident workers are back in their workplaces in Center City compared to 2019. That means that the number of workers is reduced by 30%. Recently Mayor Parker has decreed that all city workers must return to in office work full time. Other employers are also demanding that more workers return to their offices and workplaces. Nevertheless, in my opinion, we will never reach pre-pandemic numbers.
- Residential Center City continues to add residents. There are now 201,439 Center City residents. 2,844 new residential units were added in 2023. Residential Center City is hot!
- Storefront occupancy is 85%, down only 4% from pre- pandemic levels. The report does not say this, but we all know that storefront occupancy is down dramatically in our neighborhood, Market East.
- There is a 17.6% drop in reported “serious” crime since 2019. The report mentions that there is a perception of high crime that is not borne out by statistics. From my perspective, even if serious crime is down, retail theft is a blight on Center City, again especially in our Market East neighborhood.
- Tourism is thriving in Center City. The convention center welcomed 860,000 attendees, with the flower show accounting for 185,000 of the total. 9.6 million people walked in Dilworth Park in 2023. 53,000 peo- ple in December attended the Nutcracker at the Academy of Music.
From my perspective, Center City is rebounding. However, there are still serious needs to address. In the past month or two, I have seen an increase in the number of homeless persons and addicted persons in our neighbor- hood. These individuals have complex and not easily solvable problems. There are many people and agencies trying to help, but it is not enough. They deserve our com- passion and help. Their unmet needs create a problem for Center City. Also, I have seen no efforts to make the Septa El and Subway safer or cleaner. I think that the danger of these underground trains is exaggerated, but many people don’t feel safe and I see no enforcement of rules of deco- rum on the trains.
This is not part of the report, but I lament here the closing of the University of the Arts, an inexplicable decision that weakens Philadelphia, particularly Center City. The loss of this unique educational institution is a blow to Saint John’s also.
Saint John’s is a Center City icon. We serve all Center City constituencies: tourists, residents, students, workers, hospital patients and their families, and parishioners who are not Center City residents but who choose to make Saint John’s their church home. Historically, Saint John’s is known as a weekday workers’ church, but we serve all who live in and travel to Center City. We are not a typical parish which serves its own registered parishioners. Our arms are wide open for everyone! Saint John’s is important and worth supporting.
The numbers of people who live in and visit Center City are enormous. In 2023 860,000 people attended Convention Center events, 200,000+ residents, 280,000 workers. With these numbers passing by our church, Saint John’s ought to get more people to come for prayer or Mass. However, we are here and we are known. We must invite people to enter our church and we ought to evangelize. We are in a rich evangelical field and the field is ready for harvest. Saint John’s needs to be here and we need to continue to outreach all.
