PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The pandemic emergency officially ended last week, but Center City is still feeling the lingering side effects.
A new report from the Center City District (CCD) shows pedestrian traffic still has not fully recovered, and missing office workers remain the biggest problem.
CCD President Paul Levy said there are more downtown residents than ever and visitors have largely come back, especially on weekends, but there are about half as many office workers as there were pre-pandemic. Office building occupancy rates are down to 81%.
Still, Levy sees an encouraging trend. While still low, the number of non-resident workers in Center City has been steadily going up since last summer.
“If we had asked people in September, ‘Is this the new normal?’ They probably would have said yes. If we had asked in November, ‘Is this the new normal?’ They probably would have said yes. And yet each time, conditions improved,” he said.
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The study includes a survey that shows employers want workers back in the office but don’t want to order them back. They say having workers in person improves collaboration, innovation and mentoring, especially for new hires.
So, companies are trying incentives like free meals, birthday parties and happy hours — which gave Levy an idea.
“We need to do the same thing in the public spaces that surround the buildings,” he said, “to make the place feel more alive because that will support the return to office.”
Starting this week, CCD is hosting free outdoor events and pop-ups all summer. Happy hours, concerts and parties will take place at office plazas in the city’s core.
Find more events here, and read CCD’s full report here.
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