THE CENTER

Bell to bell, because the hours between programs are where people get lost.

One house. One calendar. One credential spine. The C.I.T.Y. TRUST CENTER is the connective tissue Philadelphia has been missing, activating places and spaces across Philadelphia through adaptive reuse, with partners.

People don't fall through cracks. They fall through the gaps between programs. This house has no gaps.

Built to last

We start with what already stands.

Adaptive reuse is where it starts: places across Philadelphia that already stand, given new purpose instead of being torn down, which keeps their materials, their history and the carbon already spent building them. That work rests on three commitments: sustainable places, a sustainable community and a model designed to keep both going.

Sustainable places

Adaptive reuse first: we bring new work into buildings and spaces that already stand, with partners who own and care for them, instead of waiting for something new to be built.

  • Adaptive reuse
  • Beautification
  • Partner places

Sustainable community

Training, employers and the arts meet at every activation, so neighbors can go from learning a skill to a job to a business of their own.

  • Workforce pathways
  • Local jobs
  • Arts and culture

Sustainable model

Partner-led programs, sponsors, members and volunteers keep the work moving without depending on any single source of support, and Trust OS keeps the record.

  • Partner programs
  • Members and volunteers
  • Trust OS

More uses under roofs that already stand is how a block gains healthy density: more people, work and culture in each place, with no new footprint.

WHY WE STARTED IN POINT BREEZE

We started where we were needed. We go where the city needs us next.

South Philly is the heart and soul of the city, so that is where we turned the lights on first. The method travels: find a place ready for new life, bring partners and neighbors in, and leave a credential spine behind. See our activations.

The story before usBefore usEight eras. The work we build on.

IT HAPPENED AT THE 1910

The Preview.The night The 1910 became a gallery.

Seven Philadelphia visual artists, led by featured artist Justin Michael Wadlington. One piece each, and the story behind it.

  • Friday, October 9, 2026
  • 6 to 10 PM
  • The 1910 · 1910 Washington Ave, Philadelphia

Justin Michael WadlingtonBrian WardTHE WARDSMaia EngelLarae ChristieRykeiseSaeed Briscoe X Ydaly MerSpecial feature: Mello Dixon

Curated bySaeed Briscoe + Ydaly MerMeet the curators Chief Talent & Industry OfficerMont BrownMusic. Fashion. Community.

What we accomplished

The Preview, Friday, October 9, 2026, at The 1910.

  • 250+guests in under 10 days
  • 7Philadelphia visual artists
  • 1piece each, and the story behind it

250+ guests in under 10 days. Seven Philadelphia visual artists. One piece each, and the story behind it.

  • Sponsored by Shay by Le Portier.
  • Wolfpack Management presents Flame & Flavor. Fire built. Flavor driven.
  • Alter & Build Collective, our community build partners, helped build the set for The Preview.
  • The space was made possible by our partner YD Home.

Next up · CITY Trust Global · Partner event

18th Annual Winter Awards Dinner & Business Roundtable

With The African and Caribbean Business Council

  • November 20 and 21
  • Clarion Hotel · 76 Industrial Hwy, Essington, PA 19029
25
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RSVP

Next gallery night: date coming soon. Members hear it first. Become a member

Sign up as one of our future exhibitors

  • Le Portier crestSponsored byShay by Le Portier
  • Wolfpack Management shieldFlame & Flavor logo. Fire built, flavor driven.Wolfpack Management presentsFlame & Flavor
The Preview Fundraiser flyer: an inaugural industrial art experience and conversation about community and empowerment. Friday, October 9, 2026, 6 to 10 PM, 1910 Washington Ave, Philadelphia.
The fundraiser flyer · 1 of 8

Every basecovered.

C.I.T.Y. stands for Culture, Innovation, Technology and Youth. These are the people who carry it. Each one covers a base of their own.

  • Culture
  • Innovation
  • Technology
  • Youth

Open any cover to read it. More covers join this wall as they are released.

BELL TO BELL

The day has a shape, from first bell to last.

First bell

Meal

Nobody trains hungry. The table is set before anyone arrives.

Morning

Huddle

Think It. Ink It. Execute It., the ILP daily check-in.

Midday

Instruction

Named credential tracks with facilitators who have a track record.

Afternoon

Hands-on block

Real builds, real shoots, real harvests, the work that becomes the portfolio.

Capture

Document

15 minutes: photo, piece to camera, one written line.

Last bell

Exit ticket

What you earned today, what you earn tomorrow. No hours between programs.

EAT · LIVE · GROW

From dependence, to independence, to interdependency.

Eat

Nobody trains hungry. The table is set before anyone arrives. Originally developed with Chef Christina McCoy of Custom Cuisine and ICARE Academy.

Live

Stability first. Our reentry partnership connects returning adults to supportive shared living through our partners' housing.

Grow

The five facets, the Independent Life Plan, the portfolio. The second yield that makes the Center permanent.

The Independent Life Plan, mentorship with a roadmap

The Independent Life Plan, mentorship with a roadmap.

The Independent Life Plan

Facilitated by That's The Plan Productions.

Think It. Ink It. Execute It.

Daily huddles, SMART goals, documented evidence of growth, a portfolio in the participant's own voice.

COMING TO COHORTS

The gamified ILP platform.

Think It. Ink It. Execute It., as an app. The Independent Life Plan becomes a gamified, trackable, portfolio-building experience. Quests, levels, evidence captures, and a credential spine that follows the participant.

Commissioned. In build. Coming to cohorts.

ILP
THINK · INK · EXECUTE
Soon
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