PHILADELPHIA-Often thought of as recession-proof, the education and healthcare sectors play a pivotal role in Philadelphia. So it’s no surprise that the ninth-annual RealShare conference, held here yesterday, wrapped up with a discussion about these two property types, with representatives from the University of Pennsylvania and several healthcare providers offering an overview on development here, what they have planned for the future and how it will impact the real estate and business markets in the city at large.

For its part, U. Penn has been ahead of the curve when it comes to city planning. “It had a housing and retail strategy in place for years thanks to consultants,” said Anne Papageorge, vice president for facilities and real estate services at the university. “We hold focus groups to test our ideas. And the end result has really served to benefit the local community through new restaurants and storefronts.”

Building in an urban setting also means that there is a premium on land, observed moderator Allison Wilson-Maher, vice president of east region healthcare at Duke Realty. “So it’s imperative to have a long-range strategy in place,” she said. This focus on extensive planning has not been lost on Main Line Health System, which recently wrapped up several major campus overhauls. “We went to our board and told them we needed another $900 million to refurbish the remainder of our facilities, but they asked us to go back and look at our programs to ensure we’re using our facilities to the best and highest use,” said JoAnn Magnatta, senior vice president of facilities design and construction and Main Line Health System. She added that the company will continue to reach out to the real estate community. In fact, it already brought Trammel Crow on board to handle one of its residential properties.