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Car-free Sundays on Walnut Street boosted foot traffic, sales for restaurants and retailers, survey says

Open Streets Sundays brought lawn chairs, bands, bubbles, and cash.

A leisurely Sunday chat in the middle of the street: Michael d’Amico and Leah Parentela (rear) who live in the neighborhood, are joined by Karen Tracy of Center City and her granddaughters Thia (left), 9, and Kahlan, 7, visiting from the suburbs. The 1700 block of Walnut Street was among blocks that were car-free on four September Sundays.
A leisurely Sunday chat in the middle of the street: Michael d’Amico and Leah Parentela (rear) who live in the neighborhood, are joined by Karen Tracy of Center City and her granddaughters Thia (left), 9, and Kahlan, 7, visiting from the suburbs. The 1700 block of Walnut Street was among blocks that were car-free on four September Sundays.Read moreTom Gralish / Staff Photographer

On four Sundays in September, the cars retreated from the popular shopping district along about seven blocks of 18th and West Walnut Streets, and thousands of people took them over to bliss out for a few hours.

They set up lawn chairs, listened to bands, and brought along their dogs as children gathered around a street entertainer blowing bubbles.

As it turns out, they also spent money at dozens of restaurants and retailers participating in Open Streets: West Walnut, organized by the Center City District as an experiment in placemaking and creating a business opportunity.

“It sounds really obvious: People walking down the street spend more money than people driving down the street,” said Prema Katari Gupta, president and CEO of the Center City District.

But just to be sure, the organization surveyed businesses in the car-free pedestrian zone as well as in the larger Rittenhouse neighborhood — and they reported a jump in foot traffic and sales compared to a normal Sunday.

Ninety percent of retailers surveyed reported that they saw an average 86% more foot traffic in their stores and restaurants, Gupta said. And 79% of the businesses said they had increased sales over the four Sundays.

The results were shared during Mobility Matters, a discussion hosted Wednesday by Center City District about boosting multimodal travel — transit, walking, and cycling, in addition to motor vehicles — as an economic development strategy.

“There’s no anti-car agenda here,” Gupta said. But Center City has a high number of people who walk, cycle, or take transit to work, and there’s a chance to build on those strengths.

Another topic of discussion, and a bit of worry, was the fiscal problems facing SEPTA, contemplating service cuts of 20% and a fare increase of 30% as hopes dim that the legislature will enact a package this year to increase state funding for mass transit.

How can we help? some of the business owners asked Jody Holton, SEPTA’s chief planning and strategy officer.

Post on LinkedIn and other social media “that you use the system,” Holton suggested. “I think those things are tremendously powerful. ... It’s important that we talk about using the system and how SEPTA is a part of the region.”