In conversations about Philadelphia’s downtown recovery forecast, Drexel University President John Fry recently noted that it should be centered on the Schuylkill, writes Ryan Mulligan for the Philadelphia Business Journal.

Fry is supporting his assertion with around $1.6 billion worth of construction projects currently in the works in University City and its “three innovation districts,” as Drexel calls them. These include Schuylkill Yards, uCity Square, and the Innovation Center currently under construction on Drexel’s campus.

Both sides of the river now have skyscrapers and employment hubs, from Broad Street to 40th Street.

The ongoing development and investment in University City and the part it plays in the recovery of Philadelphia and its future was the subject of discussion at the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia’s State of the Economy event earlier this month.

“I feel like our part of the city is, after a lot of years of trying — almost three decades — has finally hit its stride,” said Fry at the event. “I think joining West Philadelphia and Center City together and really thinking imaginably about the synergies between both parts of the city is the way that we should be thinking about this in the future.”

Drexel is doing its part.

Read more about Philadelphia’s development outlook in the Philadelphia Business Journal.

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