The University of Pennsylvania wants you; your opinion that is. Its 2013 Retail Market Survey contains questions that want to know where you shop, what you buy, how much you spend, and how often you do it. Does that sound like big brother to anyone else? Penn also wants to learn about some other places you want to spend your money.

Retail at Penn

The fact that this survey is steeped in questions about retail indicates that retail opportunities are clearly on the minds of the decision makers at Penn. It seems that with the school having recently opened new green spaces like Penn Park and Shoemaker Green, and Spruce Street Plaza, they are now shifting their focus towards retail.

University City is already home to plenty of retail around 39th and 40th and Chestnut and Walnut Streets, from bookstores to cafes to banks and big name restaurants like Distrito. With some new projects in the pipeline, new commercial spaces will become available, begging the question of what will fill those retail spaces. Not to mention the inevitable turnover in existing storefronts.

Retail on Walnut Street

The survey’s authors are asking from input from students, school and hospital faculty, community members and others.

According to a 2006 Penn Connects: A Vision for the Future report, future development plans at Penn include plans like East of the Highline, a two-phased two-tower mixed-use retail project near the Walnut Street Bridge envisioned to include research, office, retail, hotel, and residential space across 1.7M square feet. It also includes a vision for a new South Street Garage.

Still plenty of room to grow in the east

Perhaps this study will begin to inform those plans. We’ll be watching and reporting as new developments are announced.

–Lou Mancinelli