Hundreds of local leaders, community partners, and neighborhood stakeholders gathered on Wednesday night for University City District’s (UCD) annual event, which served two purposes: celebrating a major transition in organizational leadership and marking the official release of The State of University City 2026 report.

The gathering was the formal send-off for longtime UCD President Matt Bergheiser, who was widely praised by attendees for his years of stewardship and community impact. The evening also was the official welcome for incoming President and CEO Sarah Steltz.

Steltz laid out a forward-looking vision for the district, emphasizing its position as an economic and civic anchor for West Philadelphia and its importance to the region’s overall economic success.

Key Highlights from the 2026 Report

The annual publication offers a snapshot of University City’s real estate, employment, demographics, education, healthcare, and transportation trends over the past year.

Residential Real Estate: University City’s housing market continues to outpace citywide averages. Overall home sales in Philadelphia slowed down due to high interest rates and fewer homes on the market, but property values in the historic part of the neighborhood held steady. The median single-family home sale price across the district was $533,000 in 2025, up from $521,000 in the previous year.

Rental Market: The median monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the UCD footprint is approximately $1,400 across the neighborhoods, but has jumped to $2,400 in Central University City, which includes the Penn and Drexel campuses.

Even though building costs are high across the country, new construction in University City is still moving fast. The report tracks 40 ongoing or recently completed development projects. Major commercial and life science lab complexes, such as the Roche Gene Therapy Innovation Center (3001 Chestnut Street) and Two-Three uCity Square (25 North 38th St) continue to hit major design and delivery milestones.

University City remains a major job hub for the city: The district accounts for approximately 11 percent of all jobs in Philadelphia, driven by its “Eds and Meds” institutions (including Penn, Drexel, CHOP, and Penn Medicine), despite occupying less than two percent of the city’s total footprint.

The report also highlighted neighborhood partnership milestones. Notably, UCD’s social venture landscaping crew, Green City Works, partnered with the Walnut Hill Community Association and local non-profit Do Moore Good to successfully complete the first phase of the Walnut Hill Community Playground renovation project.

Where to Read the Report: Neighbors and stakeholders can view the fully detailed data breakdowns via the digital version hosted on the University City District Issuu Portal. Physical copies of the report are also available for pickup at the UCD headquarters located at 3940 Chestnut Street.