Open Streets: West Walnut Drives Increased Sales and Foot Traffic for Rittenhouse Row Retailers

Contact:
JoAnn Loviglio
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Successful street closure pilot program results show pronounced economic impact and increased foot traffic, suggest opportunity for future iterations

PHILADELPHIA (October 14, 2024) - At the Central Philadelphia Development Corporation's (CPDC) quarterly meeting, Center City District (CCD) presented initial results of Open Streets: West Walnut, a temporary street closure initiative piloted by CCD with support from the City of Philadelphia and Rittenhouse Row.

During the road closures on four consecutive Sundays in September, survey responses from businesses along the route - 18th Street from Chestnut to Locust, and Walnut Street from 15th to 19th - revealed that nearly 90% reported an increase in foot traffic to their storefronts. The average increase across respondents was 86%, though some retailers cited increases as high as 300% above their typical Sunday.

Nearly 79% of survey respondents reported an increase in sales; retail stores in particular reported a 90% increase on average. Beyond the positive effect on foot traffic and sales, 36% of businesses reported a decrease in shoplifting and nuisance behavior, while none indicated any increase.

In addition to data from the survey, anonymized cellphone data provided by Placer.ai showed that more than 47,800 visitors participated in Open Streets: West Walnut during the four Sundays, representing an average increase of 36% across the four weeks compared to typical Sunday pedestrian traffic, peaking with a 59% increase for the third event.

The program's first week showed a significant increase in the share of visitors who lived within two miles of the route, while the second and third weeks showed a notable increase of visitors from the suburbs and other locations more than 10 miles from Center City.

"Open Streets: West Walnut was inspired by MLK Drive. In the mid-1990s, city leadership decided that the road was more suitable for recreational use than vehicular use on temperate Sundays. It makes you wonder if other streets in the city could make sense for that sort of flexibility and adaptability," CCD President and CEO Prema Katari Gupta said.

"Walking our event on the first Sunday, it was clear that the team had created something special, like the vibrant pedestrian-focused experiences common across Latin America and Europe. We have now validated that wonderful feeling with strongly correlating sales volumes and pedestrian traffic," Gupta continued.

To learn more about the impact of Open Streets: West Walnut, visit CCD's Data Dashboard at centercityphila.org/datadashboard.

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Center City District, a private-sector organization dedicated to making Center City Philadelphia clean, safe and attractive, is committed to maintaining Center City's competitive edge as a regional employment center, a quality place to live, and a premier regional destination for dining, shopping and cultural attractions. Find us at centercityphila.org and on Instagram, Facebook and X.

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