(Amazon HQ1 | Photo: Jon Geeting)

Philly has tended to lag many of our peer cities in job growth since the Great Recession, but this week we got some good news from real estate research firm JLL about the city's jobs picture that shows we've at least made some big improvements on our own past performance.

Two weeks ago, the City submitted its bid (two days early!) and now the waiting game begins. Smart money is on Amazon announcing a shortlist and letting those sites battle it out. In the meantime, here are ten quick thoughts on the bid, the shortlist, and what this all means for Philadelphia. 

The Amazon bid has provided a great opening for a new, more positive narrative about Philadelphia to take hold locally, but Center City District President Paul Levy is out with a timely corrective to some of the marketing glitz, warning us not to get complacent.

Philadelphia officially submitted its bid for Amazon's second headquarters yesterday, and as part of the promotions, the City released a nicely-designed website with a video showcasing Philly's strengths.

In which Derek Green (At-Large) proposes to clean the detritus from out the City Code; Jannie Blackwell (3rd District) proposes extending the lives of eighteen West Philly Keystone Opportunity Zones as a carrot for Amazon; and Mark Squilla (1st District) and Darrell Clarke (Council President, 5th District) propose rezoning some large industrially-zoned properties in South Kensington and Olde Richmond (and notably neglect sprawl repair opportunities on Aramingo and York.)