University City District Blog

Our West Philadelphia Skills Initiative (WPSI) and West Philadelphia-based sustainable fashion brand Grant Blvd are launching a pilot partnership called Fashion the Future to recruit, train, and employ formerly incarcerated women in positions within the fashion field.

Beginning at 10 PM on July 7th, SEPTA crews will work around the clock, tackling critical track and power maintenance, station upgrades, and intensive cleaning as part of the 2023 Trolley Tunnel Blitz. The work will conclude by Monday, July 24th at 5 AM. 

CHANGES TO SERVICE

Each summer University City District partners with local businesses, restaurants, organizations, and performers to present a robust schedule of free and fun events throughout University City. Make sure to mark your calendars with these dates and details so you don't miss our exciting programming for Summer 2023!

On Wednesday, April 26th, University City District held our annual State of University City event. We were joined by key partners and stakeholders for a celebration of 25 years of University City District as we released our new State of University City 2023 publication.

The West Philadelphia Skills Initiative (WPSI), our pioneering workforce intermediary that has connected Philadelphians to career-ladder positions with major employers since its formation in 2011, has cut the ribbon on a new headquarters at 22 S. 40th Street in West Philadelphia. Members of our UCD and WPSI staff were joined by 3rd District Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, State Senator Vincent Hughes, Penn SEVP Craig Carnaroli, and WPSI alumni and friends during a celebratory event on Wednesday, March 22nd, 2023.

Each year, we at University City District invest in the vitality of our neighborhood. We foster clean, safe, and active streets; we cultivate civic infrastructure and activate dormant public spaces through placemaking efforts; we plan and execute signature local events; and we create an opportunity infrastructure that connects talented Philadelphians to life-altering careers at major employers.

This week, the West Philadelphia Skills Initiative (WPSI) is thrilled to announce the launch of WPSI University, our new program to offer continued workplace education and academic advancement for our graduates, equipping them with the tools and credentials they need to advance in the 21st-century workplace. This new enterprise is supported by a generous $150,000 grant from the Hummingbird Foundation, a New Jersey-based charitable organization.

Clark Park, the 9-acre oasis located between 43rd and 45th Streets and Baltimore and Woodland Avenue in West Philadelphia, is due for a refreshment, and the Friends of Clark Park want your input! The Friends of Clark Park have hired Philadelphia-based landscape architecture firm Studio Bryan Hanes to help develop a 2024 Master Plan for Clark Park’s “B Park,” the portion of Clark Park south of Chester Avenue that contains the bowl, playground, basketball courts, and more.

On Saturday, October 8th, Ryan Spak (pictured right, next to Councilwoman Gauthier) was presented with a Neighborhood Champion Award from the Ethiopian Community Association of Greater Philadelphia during their grand "re-opening" event.