Blog

Center City Street Style

Published July 15, 2022

CCD works year-round to make downtown welcoming, brighter, safer, and more accessible by providing landscaping services, lighting, directional signs, and banners.

We all know the old saying, “Take time to stop and smell the flowers.” It’s not only good advice but in Center City Philadelphia, it’s easy to do! In CCD-managed parks and along some of the downtown’s most popular corridors, you’ll find plenty of opportunities to stop and smell the flowers, appreciate the shade of tree-lined streets, take in the beauty of colorful planters (and take a picture or two!), and lounge on lush green spaces.

Wondering how this is all made possible? Center City District works year-round to make downtown welcoming, brighter, safer, and more accessible by providing landscaping services, plus lighting, signs, and banners.

Great lighting is important for more than just the perfect photo. We use lighting to enhance Center City’s public safety, animate the downtown at night and create visual excitement. Since 1996, CCD has installed more than 2,000 lights throughout Center City from Avenue of the Arts, to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, to City Hall, that increased illumination, making downtown sidewalks and roadways lighter, brighter, and safer, all which encourage a vibrant evening experience.

Plus, we can all use a little help finding our way sometimes. Whether you’re on foot, behind the wheel, or taking transit in Center City Philadelphia, a nearby CCD sign can point you in the right direction. They help to orient and inform pedestrians while adding color and character to downtown streets. Fun fact: together, the pedestrian and vehicular signs comprise a comprehensive and user-friendly system of more than 1,000 signs.

CCD’s talented landscaping team is passionate about plants, which make urban settings more vibrant, beautiful and happier places for everyone. In 2021, Center City District planted approximately 430 different species of plants across our planters, parks and street tree programs, made possible through the Center City District Foundation via the Plant Center City initiative. The plants we choose have purpose as well!

Whether you’re in downtown Philadelphia as a resident, for work, for great food, unique experiences, or all the above, make sure you take some time to stop and smell the flowers, check out the helpful signage and enjoy Center City to the fullest.