Employment:

West Philadelphia contains approximately 10% of the city's 696,000 jobs, according to Planning Commission estimates. Approximately 82% of the total jobs identified in West Philadelphia are in the the private sector. Public sector jobs make up the other 18% of the work force. In West Philadelphia, the major public sector employers are federal government agencies, the Postal Service, AMTRAK, and the school district; the 18% figure does not include city government workers based in West Philadelphia.

"Health and Education" is the dominant category of employment in West Philadelphia, with 67% of the total jobs identified. This category includes universities, hospitals, all schools and many additional West Philadelphia institutions. Most of the jobs in the "Manufacturing and Business Services" category are at the University City Science Center, which employs over 6,000 persons.

Table 4 Distribution of West Philadelphia's Total Estimated Jobs by Type of Employer, 1991

(Excludes city workers based in west Phila.)

West Philadelphia has relatively few jobs in manufacturing and light industry compared to other sections of the city, but the West Parkside Enterprise Zone program holds promise for strengthening employment in this sector. The "Health and Education" and "Manufacturing and Business Services" categories include thousands of West Philadelphia jobs that are associated with research activities. Research in the fields of health care, business and technology is a major element of West Philadelphia's economy.

The 1992 unemployment rate for West Philadelphia is estimated by the Planning Commission to be 10.1%. The City's unemployment rate for the same period was 8.8%, up from a 1990 rate of 6%. Although unemployment rates in West Philadelphia tend to be higher than those of the City as a whole, their trend mirrors that of the City. During the decade of the 1980's, the City's unemployment rate fell from a high of 10.8% in 1983 to a low of 6% in 1989, the result of rising employment in a tight labor market.

Meeting the employment needs of West Philadelphia residents:
There are a number of education and job training programs already offered in West Philadelphia. West Philadelphia-based organizations offer an array of educational and job training services that can serve as a strong base for improving the economic status of the area and its residents. The University of Pennsylvania, in partnership with community groups, the schools, and other West Philadelphia institutions, has created several important programs.

The West Philadelphia Partnership originated at the University of Pennsylvania in 1959 to improve the quality of life for West Philadelphia residents. In 1981 its board was reorganized to allow equal representation from West Philadelphia institutions, businesses and neighborhood organizations. The partnership works to promote economic development, youth employment and education through initiatives such as Hire West Philadelphia, Buying in West Philadelphia and the West Philadelphia Improvement Corps. The West Philadelphia Partnership Community Development Corporation (C.D.C.) was recently established to undertake housing and community development projects.

The West Philadelphia Improvement Corps (WEPIC), along with the School Board and the community, sponsors "Community Schools" in nine schools in West Philadelphia. Established in 1985, its concept is to expand the schools into places where all residents can acquire education and skills and work on projects that benefit the community. The most extensive "Community School programs are at the Turner Middle School, Sulzberger Middle School and West Philadelphia High School.

The Wharton West Philadelphia Project utilizes students and faculty from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School in four separate community outreach programs. Young Entrepreneurs at Wharton brings motivated high school students to the Penn campus for a special enrichment program each August. Wharton students then work individually with these students during the school year. Skills Training Employment Preparation enables residents who are looking for clerical/secretarial jobs at Penn to update their skills through summer classes of three weeks' duration. The Technical Assistance Program uses Wharton MBA students to provide technical assistance to West Philadelphia businesses and non-profit organizations. Bridges is a mentoring program, matching Wharton students with West Philadelphia Middle School students.

Other West Philadelphia-based organizations are involved in education and job training. The Center for Literacy, established in West Philadelphia in 1968, with headquarters at 48th Street & Baltimore Avenue, has learning sites at many West Philadelphia locations. The West Philadelphia Economic Development Corporation sponsors employment training services, and job training is also provided locally by the Parkside Association of Philadelphia.

Commercial and Industrial Activity Areas

City-wide programs, with specific sites in West Philadelphia for either training or referral, are sponsored by the public schools, Private Industry Council (PIC), and the Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition. The Center for Literacy's programs are also available citywide.

Citywide retail activity was analyzed in the Planning Commission's 1989 publication entitled, Philadelphia Shops: A Citywide Study of Retail Center Conditions, Issues and Opportunities. The 1989 publication identified 40 commercial centers containing at least 10,000 sq. ft. of gross leasable area (GLA) in West Philadelphia. Most of the commercial centers are older retail corridors in the older neighborhoods, but West Philadelphia also has modern shopping centers with plentiful off-street parking in Haddington, Cobbs Creek, Wynnefield Heights and Overbrook Park.

Demand for retail goods and services in West Philadelphia has been weakened by the district's 27% population loss since 1960. In addition, household income levels (which also affect consumer demand) are relatively low in West Philadelphia; according to the census, 1990 median household income for West Philadelphia is $20,918 compared with $24,603 for the City and $29,069 for Pennsylvania. Population loss and low income levels are most noticeable in the central area of West Philadelphia (census tracts 78-86, 92-96, and 101-112). From 1960 to 1990, this area lost 34% of its population and more than 20% of its households. This central area also captures less of the purchases made by its residents than other sections of West Philadelphia, according to the City-wide Buying Survey published in 1985 by the Philadelphia Commercial Development Corporation (PCDC); this may reflect the poor condition of local retail facilities and the ease of transit or auto access to other large shopping destinations nearby.

Retail centers in the central portion of the district are functioning under several limitations. The first is their limited role in the marketplace. Except for the 52nd & Market corridor, which attracts customers from a wider area for comparison-goods shopping, these retail centers cater primarily to the convenience-goods needs of nearby residents. Second is the surplus of stores in relation to the reduced population and the greater mobility of consumers who can readily access the more modern and larger competitive centers outside of West Philadelphia; this results in high vacancy rates. In most of these corridors, vacancy increased between 1987 and 1990. The vacancy rate for the 52nd & Market Streets corridor increased from 21% in 1987 to 27% in 1990, and the vacancy rate for 60th & Market jumped from 27% to 44% during the same time period.

Table 5

Third is the prevalence of small storefronts and small ownership parcels -- this puts older corridors at a disadvantage at a time when retail chains are seeking larger and larger store sizes. The fourth limitation is a lack of parking. Most older centers in West Philadelphia currently have less than the two (2) parking spaces per 1000 sq. ft. of retail gross leasable area (GLA) recommended for pedestrian-oriented corridors in Philadelphia Shops (Planning Commission, 1989), but the quantity of parking is not the only problem. The off-street parking lots that serve the older corridors are generally unsafe, poorly maintained and therefore underutilized. This suggests that improvements to existing parking areas may be more important than the addition of new spaces.

The older retail corridors do, however, share significant underlying strengths. Geographically, they are evenly distributed throughout West Philadelphia's central core, and they are located at points where multiple transit routes converge. This reflects the corridors' traditional orientation to transit riders and pedestrians, and ensures at least a small, captive market for convenience goods, services, and some comparison goods. This is supported by the 1985 Philadelphia Commercial Development Corporation survey of shoppers which shows that residents of West Philadelphia's central area are more likely than residents of the other sections of West Philadelphia to make shopping trips on foot or by transit.