New Philadelphia Immigration Report--What it May Mean for 5th Street

Last week the Brookings Institution released a report entitled, "Recent Immigration to Philadelphia: Regional Change and Response." To those who spend time near 5th Street, the fact immigration to the area has increased during the past 15 years should come as no great surprise. What's striking are certain characteristics of the recently immigrated population including their educational attainment. As someone said during the panel discussion following the release of the report at the Central Branch of the Free Library last Thursday, these aren't exactly your huddled masses or whatever other class stereotypes you might hold of recent immigrants. In fact, a higher percentage of recent immigrants to the Philadelphia metro area have a bachelor's degree than the native born population.

What might this mean for the 5th Street project? Here are a few ideas:

1. If coffee shops, bookstores, and the like are trappings of an educated class rather than an upper middle income class, 5th Street may be better suited for these establishments than many might think. The report shows that recent immigrants are lower-earning on average than their native born counterparts, so one might not be able to judge an immigrant's educational attainment by his or her current socioeconomic class). That does not necessarily mean that they aren't interested in the coffee, baked goods, magazines or paperbacks, especially if marketing efforts made it clear that various immigrant groups are valued customers.

2. These trends could also be a positive sign for the office space market (in the long term) near the 5th Street Corridor. Many immigrants tend to prefer seeing doctors, dentists, lawyers, etc. who share their culture and speak their native language. It's no coincidence the professional offices on 5th Street include a Korean lawyer and a Vietnamese dentist. Who's to say there aren't a few Caribbean doctors or Cambodian dentists (for example) who are eager to settle in the neighborhood if only they could clear the significant licensing hurdles that deter so many immigrant professionals. This is all the more reason to support those who engage in immigrant workforce development and related advocacy work, such as The Welcoming Center.

Take these thoughts with a grain of salt. We'll base decision on how to promote 5th Street to potential funders, property owners and potential investors on local market research, surveys, and demographic statistics, not my reactions to a paper written generally about the Phila. metro area. In fact, we are working with LISC and possibly PCDC to put together excellent market research for the corridor. All I'm saying is that from time to time it is important to step back and consider the project alongside regional trends and new sources of information.