In mid-1980s Philadelphia, the erection of One Liberty Place, which broke a long-standing “gentleman’s agreement” by surpassing City Hall’s height, ushered in widespread downtown development. At the time, though, Center City’s rising new skyscrapers opened in a metropolis facing significant headwinds. When commuters ascended elevators and then looked out their office windows, they beheld a vast, row-home-lined landscape beset by rising crime, a crack epidemic, population loss, and economic decline.
Now, amid the pandemic recovery, Philadelphia again confronts daunting challenges that leave Center City in an urban purgatory. Many downtown skyscrapers – emblematic of a years-long renaissance – remain sparsely occupied, leading to fewer pedestrians on city streets. As one recent survey found, among a sample of 18 office high-rises, “one building was 75% occupied, another was occupied in the 30% to 40% range, five were from 20% to 30% occupied, and 11 were below 20%.” Philadelphia’s plummeting transit ridership and tax revenue reflect this trend.
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