The region, it seems, is resurgent in institutions that circulate money, people, goods, ideas and data bytes - the basic buildings blocks of the modern metropolis.
Think of your body. When you exercise and the blood pumps oxygen to arms and legs, brain and heart, you feel good. It's the same way with an economy. When the economic arteries are pumping with people and money and goods, commerce booms.
Millions more passengers are flying out of Philadelphia International Airport, thanks to new competition from discount airline Southwest Airlines Co. that began in May 2004.
The new produce terminal, now under construction near the auto mall, will triple the volume of fruits and vegetables.
Center City, the region's commuter and nightlife gateway, or portal, has been revitalized with new high-rises, restaurants and condos.
Colleges and universities are investing tens of millions of dollars into expansion for higher enrollments, bringing students into the region and supplying them to companies and institutions as educated cogs in the global economic wheel.
The Delaware River ports are expected to get a jolt of growth from the long-delayed channel-deepening project on the Delaware River.
Then there's Comcast's new national data backbone built from "dark fiber," or transmission lines installed by other companies in the dot-com days.
"We have sectors that are not recession-proof, but are not as susceptible to the vagaries of an economic downturn. It's one of the benefits of not having a lot of factories," said John Estey, the chairman of the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority and Gov. Rendell's former chief of staff. "We'll weather this storm better than most. Not as good as everyone, but better than most."
