Paul Levy, director the Center City Business Improvement District in Philadelphia, is retiring

Public art bus shelter program in Downtown Philadelphia.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, "The man who helped revitalize downtown Philly is ready to step back after 30 years leading Center City District."  From the article:

A longstanding critique of BIDs is that they heighten urban inequality by providing additional semi-private services to higher-income areas that can afford them. That increases disparities between neighborhoods and quiets a potential constituency for stronger public services citywide.

Levy dismisses that argument, noting that Center City is an economic hub and revenue generator for the rest of Philadelphia.

“I’d like you to go on to City Council and propose $31 million of funding for sidewalk cleaning, public safety, and lighting in the downtown,” Levy said this week. “They’re taking care of the rest of the city. They’ve got constituents who need services more than we need services. That’s the basic politics.”

Since CCD’s creation, the city has bounced back by many measures — especially in Center City and the neighborhoods around it. While never reaching the heights of the first half of the 20th century, Philadelphia’s population began growing again, the tax base recovered, centrally located neighborhoods revitalized, and crime ebbed (until recently).

Nationally, he has been a force for change and innovation at a scale that is unusual.  They've pushed a lot of interesting programs forward.

His successor, Prema Katari Gupta, has experience at two other Philadelphia BIDs which are also quite creative, the University Center District and the Philadelphia Navy Yard.