Beyond the Bell
Connecting Our City’s Arts & Cultural Institutions through
Tourism Infrastructure and Partnerships
Contact: George Matysik
[email protected]
The hospitality and tourism industry is one of our city’s strongest economic sectors,
providing 90,000 full-time jobs in the Philadelphia region. In 2013, 39 million
visitors made their way to our city, representing a $10 billion economic impact on
our economy. And while this does translate into a $422 per person tax savings,
tangible benefits have largely been confined to Center City. I believe this economic
growth needs to extend to neighborhoods and the small businesses that anchor them
in order to truly move our city toward a vision of shared prosperity. Beyond the Bell
is my plan for achieving that.
A
Citywide Reach
For the last few years, there has been a conversation around having large, city-based,
non-profits pay PILOTs (payments in lieu of taxes). As Mayor, I would also entertain the
idea of SILOTs (services in lieu of taxes) to help bring more programming from larger,
Center City-based institutions into our neighborhoods.
When it comes to arts and culture in Philadelphia, there’s no institution more vital than the
Free Library of Philadelphia. With 61 locations, spanning every neighborhood in the city,
our library system has the ability to bring rich cultural programming to every resident in
Philadelphia. As Mayor, I will push to increase funding to our library system, ensuring they
are fully staffed and have the necessary resources to grow their rich programming through
PILOTs and SILOTs.
Continue the City’s Contribution
While the Mayor has called for a 40% decrease in capital for the Philadelphia Cultural Fund,
I believe this is a necessary resource for our City’s residents. That said, I would consider
restrictions on funding to only be available to institutions and programs which serve a
population at least 25% economically disadvantaged audience.
To add to this pot, I would implement a tourism district “round it up” program at our local
businesses. This means that anytime you shop at a grocery store, buy clothing, or make any
other purchases (from non-tipped staff), businesses would be asked to offer customers to
designate the leftover change to go to the City’s Cultural Fund to boost our arts and cultural
scene.
Philadelphia 2026
In 1876, our city capitalized on the Centennial Exposition—the celebration of our nation’s
100th birthday—to bring in outside investment to our city, essentially making West
Fairmount Park what it is today. While it may be the farthest thing from our mind right
now, in 2026 Philadelphia will begin the celebration of our nation’s 250th Birthday—and
the eyes of the country and world will be turned to us. An opportunity like this takes years
of planning, and as Mayor, I will work to bring outside private and federal investment into
our city to properly prepare for this celebration.
Beyond 2026, as Mayor, and lead cheerleader, I will work diligently to bring in major
events, competitions, conventions, festivals and exhibitions to help bolster tourism and
bring in revenue.
Tourism Infrastructure and Training
‘Infrastructure’ and ‘jobs’ have become synonymous in political policy papers lately, but
there is a real opportunity for our city to invest in lasting infrastructure growth by spurring
our “tourism infrastructure,” making a real and lasting impact on many of our City’s arts
and cultural institutions. As Mayor, I will invest in the following agenda to spur our arts,
culture and tourism economy:
Expand “Tourism, travel, and hospitality” curriculum within the School
District
—While most of the School District’s limited career and technical education
programs focus on hard trades, service industry jobs have been on a rapid rise in recent
years. Even through the recession, tourism continued to add jobs to our region—many of
which are well-paying opportunities.
A recent report by the U.S. Travel Association showed that workers without a college
degree constituted 80% of employees in the travel industry, higher than the 70% of
workers in other sectors. In addition, it is estimated that 1/3 of college students working
part-time are working in the leisure and hospitality sector, giving them greater pathways to
educational attainment.
Invest in capping of I-95 at Penn’s Landing, 676 on the Parkway, and the 30th Street
rail yard—
These three man-made canyons within our City, have held back Center City
from creating a cohesive, river-to-river cultural experience. To me, these projects are
among the most vital capital infrastructure projects our city can take on, as they will lead to
long-term economic growth. Capping I-95 at Penn’s Landing, in particular, would allow our
city to begin to recreate the vision that Thomas Holme first considered when planning our
city.
Extend Broad Street line to the Navy Yard
—At full build-out, it is estimated that the Navy
Yard will support $13.5 million in development and 30,000 people. As some businesses
look to locate in more suburban-style campuses with urban amenities, the Navy Yard is
uniquely positioned for substantial growth. In addition, previous failed attempts at
sustaining a South Philadelphia cruise port (necessary due to the low height of the Walt
Whitman Bridge) can be partially attributed to the difficulty in moving thousands of
passengers to Center City via charter bus. By potentially creating an express line, similar to
the “Sports Express” used for athletic events at AT&T Station, Philadelphia could lure more
cruise lines to visit our city.
Create weekend “Crosstown Greenway”, closing vehicular traffic on an East-to-West
street to connect the Delaware to Schuylkill River Trail
—For pedestrian and biking
residents and tourists alike, making the East-to-West cross through Center City can be a
harrowing experience. As Mayor, I would explore a weekend closure of an East-to-West
artery from the Delaware River to the Schuylkill River Trail. If successful, I would consider
year-round closure to vehicular traffic, to provide a safe and desirable artery through our
cultural districts.
Increase targeted investment in thriving multicultural “Main Streets”
—Modeled after
our successful Chinatown and Italian Market, I would place greater investment in the
culturally diverse neighborhoods which give our city much of its identity. A recent report by
the Fiscal Policy Institute showed that roughly 28% of “Main Street” businesses in
Philadelphia were immigrant owned. With cultural “Main Streets” like Baltimore Avenue’s
African community, Castor Avenue’s Brazilian community, and Allegheny Avenue’s Latino
and Eastern European communities, our city has an ability to tap into emerging
entrepreneurs while creating distinct cultural corridors. Additionally, as Mayor, I would
work with Harrisburg to help restore funding to the Department of Community and
Economic Development, to fund main street revitalization projects in historically
African-American and Latino owned-business corridors.
Our city government has struggled to become a bilingual city (English and Spanish) but
there are dozens of other languages we must integrate into our city services to make it
easier to navigate the labyrinth of this bureaucracy. We could have the best small business
development programs in the world, but if our immigrant population does not know what
is available to them, it is of little value. In addition, I believe there is great opportunity to
increase tours to these neighborhoods, as well as other significant cultural neighborhoods,
such as Historic Germantown.
Expand pay-per-use public restrooms, bike shares, and charging stations
-- These are
basic amenities, and potential revenue sources that could and should be added to our city’s
infrastructure. I am incredibly excited for the City’s new Indigo Bike Share, and I know the
demand will rise considerably in the coming months.
Tourism District “Round it Up” program
-- As Mayor, I would implement a tourism
district “round it up” program at our local businesses. Anytime you shop at a grocery store,
buy clothing, or make any other purchases (from non-tipped staff), businesses would be
asked to offer customers to designate the leftover change to go to the City’s Cultural Fund to
boost our arts and cultural scene.
Connecting Our Neighborhoods to Major Institutions
While our city’s core has seen rapid economic development in recent years, we have seen
lagging progress in some of our outlying neighborhoods. With major investment in some of
our anchor institutions in the neighborhoods, I would look to establish similar “Business
Improvement Districts” to the Center City District and University City District.
Neighborhoods like Southwest Philadelphia, with institutions like the Philadelphia
International Airport, energy hub businesses, and major logistics organizations have the
opportunity to spur economic development and create jobs for residents in their
community. By creating these partnerships, our city can ensure that the growth of our city’s
economy can impact the lives of all its residents.
Friends of Doug Oliver
200 S. Broad Street Suite 410, Philadelphia Pa 19102
215.985.4900 | C
[email protected]
© Doug Oliver for Mayor 2015