From ghost town to bustling downtown

By Paul R. Levy

Before the Center City District started up 20 years ago today, the downtown area was perceived as dirty and dangerous. While major crimes were not very common, a sense of disorder undermined the confidence of property owners, would-be investors, workers, visitors, and residents.

Whirlwinds of litter blew around, broken glass glittered in gutters, and graffiti marred buildings and benches. Thirty-foot-high "cobra head" streetlights created pools of light separated by long stretches of darkness.

Security gates were rolled down by 5:30 p.m. There were no outdoor cafés, only one condominium complex (Academy House), and few baby strollers. The Civic Center in University City hosted only occasional trade shows and small conventions, and the zoo was the city's top visitor destination. The orchestra was struggling to raise funds for a new home.

The city was in the midst of recession and fiscal crisis. There really had been a 1970s ad campaign with the slogan "Philadelphia is not as bad as Philadelphians say it is." We were not only economically depressed; we were clinically depressed.

Center City today is a different downtown, transformed by two decades of investment that has diversified its economic base, employment opportunities, residential options, and cultural and leisure offerings. Working with four mayors and four governors, a committed private sector has made Center City cleaner, safer, and more attractive.

As our forthcoming "State of Center City" report shows, serious crimes have been reduced by half over the last 20 years, car burglaries by three-quarters. New landscaping, pedestrian-scale lighting, and signs create a welcoming environment day and night. We can enjoy 213 outdoor cafés and 328 percent more fine dining establishments (and have the waistlines to prove it). There's been a 95 percent increase in hotel rooms, and the state-of-the-art, downtown convention center has just doubled in size.

The modest goal of the district's 1992 "Make it a Night" campaign was to get retailers to stay open until 8 p.m. on Wednesdays. Today, arts, entertainment, hotels, restaurants, and new housing keep the sidewalks animated well into the evening hours, seven days a week.