Center City Philadelphia is showing signs of renewed economic vitality thanks to strong housing demand, the recent growth in the hospitality sector, and a Comcast-led return-to-work push, writes Scott Calvert for The Wall Street Journal.

While many cities nationwide have been struggling to recover from the effects of the pandemic, business owners, workers, and residents are all seeing a clear improvement in Philadelphia’s Center City.

Local officials said that Center City is an example of how a downtown that boasts large retail and tourism sectors that also has many people both living and working there can jolt back to life quicker than those that are more reliant on commuters.

“Every time I’m walking down the street it seems pretty busy,” said Abby Clouser, an area resident.

According to Visit Philadelphia data, Center City hotel occupancy in September and October was 67 percent, which is the highest monthly rate since the pandemic started.

Meanwhile, pedestrian foot traffic in downtown Philadelphia in November reached 73 percent of November 2019 levels, making it one of the pandemic’s busiest months.

However, Center City still remains hampered by remote work’s enduring appeal and concerns over public safety.

Read more about downtown Philadelphia in The Wall Street Journal.

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Walking Philadelphia’s Center City Christmas Village and surrounding areas.