University City District Announces Exciting New Website Improvements

Contact: Lori Klein Brennan, Senior Director of Marketing & Communications at 215.243.0555 x227 or lori@ucityphila.org

www.ucityphila.org experiences over 40,000 hits daily and now features an interactive map and an arts and culture calendar

(Philadelphia, PA) -- This week, University City District (UCD), the neighborhood and business improvement organization just west of downtown Philadelphia, re-launched their website, www.ucityphila.org. This improved online presence now features custom interactive maps derived from Geographic Information Systems data, new and updated retail content, user-friendly navigation, an integrated calendar of upcoming arts and cultural events, and a search feature powered by Google. UCD hired Geocentric, a web company based out of Bethesda, Maryland to create these custom maps and interactive guides. Using Geocentric’s Citylight™ software, UCD will be allowed to publish high value content, improve search engine visibility, and communicate the UCD brand.

The new University City interactive map allows the user to explore the area’s attractions from a bird’s eye view, making it easy for visitors to navigate the neighborhood’s diverse offerings. This map makes it simple for visitors to get a comprehensive overview of the dynamic retail, dining and cultural attractions located throughout the district. The map enables visitors to zoom in or out and automatically pulls nearby attraction, parking, and other information from a dynamic database.

"The rich diversity of University City District really showcases the features of our web software," said Jim Blakeslee, President and Founder of Geocentric, "we are very pleased with the user experience www.ucityphila.org provides."

In addition, UCD partnered with The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance to create an online events and attractions calendar that is easily accessible directly from UCD’s website. The template was customized by The Cultural Alliance for UCD and pulls information directly from The Alliance’s website but keeps within the look and feel of UCD’s site. These arts events, now with a feature on the homepage, have a larger presence on www.ucityphila.org.

University City – known as Philadelphia’s first suburb and home to tree-lined streets, wide porches, and historic Victorian homes – has transformed into one of the city’s most vibrant communities. With the continual revitalization of this neighborhood and its businesses, UCD has reinvented www.ucityphila.org to accommodate the area’s remarkable growth and animated nightlife. The website will continue to serve over one million hits per month.

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University City District builds effective partnerships to maintain a clean and safe environment and to promote, plan and advocate for University City’s diverse, urban community. www.ucityphila.org.

Release Date: Friday, September 8th 2006