2019 was a banner year for 5th Square, Philadelphia's urbanist political action committee. As we celebrate our fifth year as an organization and our second City council cycle, we reflect on the impact we've made around important urbanist causes for better mobility, housing, and public space.
5th Square saw impressive growth in our supporting member base in 2019, growing five times from 30 sustaining members at the end of 2018 to over 150 today. And we've continued to invest in our grassroots mobilization capacity, growing our subscriber email database from about 10,000 people at the beginning of the year to over 14,000 subscribers at the end of 2019. We're also celebrating our 100th issue of our weekly urbanist newsletter, featuring news, events, jobs, and action alerts concerning Philadelphia's built environment. We've also seen big increases in our reach on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram thanks to help from our dedicated volunteer membership, namely Anne Putnam and Chi-Hyun Kim keeping these channels going strong.
Our Slack Workspace is also busy as ever with over 70 weekly active members and 56 public channels, many of our advocacy ideas are generated and polished here as they come to fruition. (Subscribing Members enjoy access to our Slack Workspace)
5th Square initiatives and members were also mentioned in over 30 news articles in the past year in print, radio, and TV pieces. Several editorials penned by 5th Square members in 2019 were published by The Philadelphia Inquirer and WHYY. We also created some media of our own, including a video editorial demonstrating the downsides of using leaf blowers to clean our streets.
We're especially proud of the results of our City Council electoral work this year, spearheaded by our Organizing and Elections lead Steph Davis. In a highly-competitive election year, we drove the larger political conversation about important issues like improving public transit, putting people first on our streets, and continued progress on pro-urban planning and zoning reforms.
Thanks in part to the work of our members and volunteers calling, texting, knocking doors, and donating to candidates, we can welcome three of our endorsed candidates to City Council when they meet again in January!
- Kendra Brooks,
- Jamie Gauthier
- Helen Gym
In 2019 we began hosting regular monthly meet-ups on the second Thursday of each month, and welcomed esteemed speakers such as:
- Jamie Gauthier, City-Councilmember-Elect for the 3rd District,
- Alex Baca, Housing Program Organizer for D.C.-based urbanist advocacy organization Greater Greater Washington,
- State Rep. Donna Bullock of the 195th District,
- Lily Bernheimer, author of “The Shaping of Us: How Everyday Spaces Structure Our Lives, Behaviour, and Well-Being,”
- City Council At-Large Candidates Kendra Brooks and Nic O'Rourke from the Working Families Party, Independent candidate Joe Cox,
- Roy Gothie, Pedestrian and Bicycle Coordinator at PennDOT, and
- University of Iowa Professor Greg Shill.
5th Square sponsored or supported actions for several under-the-radar issues in 2019, many of which were successful. We helped amplify neighborhood leaders' push to stop a curb cut in the Italian Market at 9th and Washington, and supported Councilman Mark Squilla's overlay bill to keep driveways out of the market in the future, to allow for pedestrian hours. We also ran several repaving season petitions to support installation of better bike and pedestrian infrastructure, like on Delaware Avenue and the Grays Ferry Bridge. From what we've heard, the Grays Ferry action is likely to be successful, and the protections have already been installed on Delaware Ave. We plan to continue discussions about the plans for Lombard Street and 22nd Street with the City.
We also helped drive turnout to many public meetings for safer streets and good urban infill housing projects, working with local members and neighborhood tipsters to build support for positive changes that nonetheless tend to get vetoed over parking and density concerns. We also worked with other organizations to organize our supporters collectively on larger issues like the threats to the Central Delaware Overlay, the urban vision for the waterfront, and a last-ditch effort by Councilmembers Jannie Blackwell and Darrell Clarke to double minimum parking quotas.
Our Transit Committee has also been hard at work, showing up to SEPTA's board meetings & budget hearings and calling on the agency to prioritize ridership growth, eliminate the transfer penalty, and support the Bus Network Redesign and trolley modernization projects.
At our Transit Committee meetings this year, we heard from SEPTA's Jen Dougherty about Bus Network Redesign, and from SEPTA's Lex Powers, on their new service maps emphasizing frequent service. We also helped organize the annual Transit Equity Day fair, and partnered with Young Professionals in Transportation on the first Public Transit Pub Crawl. 5th Square has also been one of 8 core organizations working to form a new Transit Coalition that will be launching in 2020 to support the goals of SEPTA's Bus Network Redesign, fare policy reform, and other improvements for riders.
In 2020, we look forward to the following:
- Working with our partners at the Bicycle Coalition to advance crucial bills in the State House and Senate that will make our streets safer, specifically HB 792 – Protected Bike Lanes and Pedestrian Plazas
- Advancing our SEPTA agenda in partnership with incoming City Council members regarding family-friendly fares, improving bus service and ridership, and finally ending the $1 transfer penalty this Spring
- Supporting the work of the new Transit Coalition in 2020, alongside SEPTA's new GM Leslie Richards, and leveraging the potential for transformative change on SEPTA's board enabled by the recent blue wave election in Philly's collar counties
- Building coalitions around Washington Ave repaving and a lane diet next year, and building and supporting local campaigns around other dangerous corridors
- Working with new partners at OTIS on the future of Philly Free Streets
- Supporting candidates in PA State House primaries happening in multiple districts where 5th Square has a large presence
- Establishing 5th Square 501(c)3 and 501(c)4 non-profit arms to support education, outreach, and grant fundraising to better advance our mission of advancing safer streets for walking and biking, improving public transportation, and changing the conversation on planning and housing.
We need your support to make this possible—please consider joining us in the fight for a more livable and sustainable city for all Philadelphians.
Become a member or make a donation to support 5th Square.
2019 Timeline
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On 1/4, in response to the City's underwhelming one-year progress report on its Vision Zero Action Plan, we published our own "Top 10 Vision Zero Opportunities that Philadelphia Missed in 2018."
- On 1/15, At 5th Square's January Transit Committee meeting, we hosted SEPTA's Jennifer Dougherty, updated us on the status of SEPTA's Bus Network Redesign project
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On 1/18, supporting neighborhoods' slow zone applications, we published our own 'Neighborhood Slow Zone' Campaign Resources page and organized a a slow zone happy hour.
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On 1/23, Kicking off our 2019 City Council organizing efforts, we held a special briefing on the state of the campaign landscape, and an informal straw poll of members to help inform our 2019 endorsement process.
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On 1/29, Funding the Civic Commons: Land Value Capture and Public Space - We co-hosted a discussion with Reimagining the Civic Commons and the Knight Foundation about RCC's new 'Value Capture' toolkit, and innovative public financing strategies for funding the "Civic Commons" here in Philadelphia. Guest speakers include Carol Coletta of the Kresge Foundation, Joshua Vincent of Urban Tools Consulting, Jen Mahar of Fairmount Park Conservancy, and Kevin Dow of The Rail Park.
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On 2/8, 5th Square's very own Aaron Bauman penned a piece for the Inquirer looking at Philly's self-designated "High Injury Network" of streets and its weakest link: PennDOT streets. In our examination of the High Injury Network, we have found that users are six times more likely to be killed or severely injured on a PennDOT street!
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On 2/15, we issued early endorsements to six city council candidates: challengers Lauren Vidas and Jamie Gauthier in the 2nd and 3rd Districts, and At-Large candidates Justin DiBerardinis, Helen Gym, Adrian Rivera-Reyes, and Eryn Santamoor.
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On 2/22, we participated in Philadelphia's Transit Equity Day.
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On 3/28, we held a fundraiser dance party to support 5th Square's 2019 City Council slate of endorsements at Concourse Dance Bar.
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On 4/2, we published a petition opposing driveways in the Italian Market, and received over 600 signatures. With press from PlanPhilly, Curbed, and South Philly Review!
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On 4/11, at 5th Square's April Transit Committee Meeting, We discussed the feedback on SEPTA's new frequent bus service maps and the agency's plans for them with guest Lex Powers, Long Ranger Planner at SEPTA.
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On 4/11, Citing our petition to prevent Midwood Investment's proposed driveway from ruining the pedestrian landscape of the Italian Market. Urban Anthropologist and 5th Square Member Katrina Johnston-Zimmerman argued in the Inquirer that "It’s time to pedestrianize the Italian Market."
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On 4/16, we published "Our Citizens Shouldn't Be Part of a Trash Experiment" voicing our opposition to the City's pilot street sweeping program using leaf blowers, in favor of citywide curb-to-curb mechanical street sweeping. As part of this, we published our first video editorial! Our volunteers were also interviewed by local television and by Billy Penn.
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On 4/30, we published a petition, "Tell Councilman Kenyatta Johnson to Support a Safer 22nd Street for All Users", and received over 300 signatures.
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On 5/2, we published, "Most Council Incumbents Tell the Inquirer They Support More Bike Lanes. We Checked the Record"
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On 5/4, as part of 5th Square's Action Tank series supported by the Emerging Cities Program in partnership with 8 80 Cities and Knight Foundation, we celebrated community and play in front of Kingsessing Library Branch.
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On 5/4, James Gitto, 5th Square member & neighborhood advocate, and Feet First Philly, Philadelphia’s pedestrian advocacy organization, hosted a Jane's Walk on Frankford Avenue to discuss the high demand for pedestrian safety infrastructure and projects.
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On 5/7, we co-hosted a campaign fundraiser for Jamie Gauthier at Team Jamie Headquarters.
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On 5/9, we held our May meet-up at Craft Hall.
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On 5/13, we endorsed a "Yes" vote for Proposed Charter Change Question #4, establishing the title of "Public Safety Enforcement Officer" to assist the Police Department in regulating the flow of traffic.
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On 5/18, we held 5th Square Action Tank: Urbanist Family Story Time, at Lilypad, we read two city-themed books and did a craft.
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On 5/19, we organized a phone banking event to call and text 5th Square's large phone list about the primary election for City Council.
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On 5/28, we noted the Big Urbanist Wins from the 2019 Primary: Jamie Gauthier, Helen Gym, and the Authorization of Public Safety Enforcement Officers.
- On 6/1, We co-hosted a Transit Pub Crawl with YPT.
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On 6/9, we hosted our first ever Beach Trip Day, taking the newly re-opened Atlantic City Rail Line for a day trip down the shore.
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On 6/13, we held our June Monthly meet-up with City Council primary-winner Jamie Gauthier at Booker's in West Philly.
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On 6/25, we heard from Roy Gothie, Pedestrian and Bicycle Coordinator at PennDOT, about the Commonwealth's upcoming plan for increasing biking and walking and improving safety.
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On 7/11, we held our July Monthly meet-up with guest Alex Baca, Housing Program Organizer for D.C.-based urbanist advocacy organization Greater Greater Washington.
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On 8/1, we published a petition calling on the City to add protections to the Delaware Ave bike lane, with our partners from the Bicycle Coalition, and received over 1,000 signatures.
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On 8/8, we held our August Monthly meet-up with special guest, State Rep. Donna Bullock of the 195th District.
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On 8/14, we published a petition calling on PennDOT to install a westbound protected bike lane on the Grays Ferry Avenue Bridge, and received over 600 signatures.
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On 9/5, we published a petition calling on Councilmember Johnson and The Philadelphia School supporting a protected bicycle lane for Lombard Street, and received over 600 signatures.
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On 9/5, we also published a note thanking oTIS and Councilmember Mark Squilla for a safer South 11th Street, and received over 250 signatures.
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On 9/12, we held our September Monthly meet-up with special guest, Lily Bernheimer, author of “The Shaping of Us: How Everyday Spaces Structure Our Lives, Behaviour, and Well-Being.”
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On 9/29, we hosted a community screening of the cargo bike movie, Motherload, at the Bok in South Philly.
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On 10/9, 5th Square's James Gitto published on PlanPhilly, "It’s time to test a car-free Chestnut Street"
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On 10/10, 5th Square's David Brindley published on The Philadelphia Inquirer, "Philly needs to reboot street cleaning program"
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On 10/10, we held our October Monthly meet-up welcoming City Council at-Large Candidates Kendra Brooks and Nic O'Rourke from the Working Families Party and Independent candidate Joe Cox. This meeting was covered by Philadelphia Neighborhoods, a publication of the Multimedia Urban Reporting Lab at Temple University. Read about it here and watch their video from the meeting.
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On 10/15, we published, "More Housing for People, Not Cars" as a sign-on letter against parking minimums.
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On 10/25, we announced our endorsement of Kendra Brooks for the City Council At-Large race in the general election.
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On 11/21, we co-hosted an event with Delaware Valley Smart Growth Alliance featuring University of Iowa Greg Shill, author of the forthcoming paper "Should Law Subsidize Driving?" and held our November Monthly meet-up that night with the professor.
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We also drove turnout to the following meetings:
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1/8 - Washington Square West Civic Association - protected bicycle lane projects on 10th and 13th streets
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1/8 - Logan Square Neighborhood Association - Market/JFK Vision Zero Pilot Project
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1/29 - oTIS' Open House on Protected Bike Lanes for 2nd, 5th, and 6th Streets
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4/10 - Queen Village Neighbors Association - Washington Avenue Connector Project
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4/10 - Pennsport Civic Association - Washington Avenue Connector Project
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5/7 - 9th and Washington Civic Design Review - No 9th Street Driveway!
- 6/12 - Roosevelt Boulevard "Route for Change" June 2019 Public Meeting
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8/14 - ZBA - Good Shepherd
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10/16 - City Hall - Against Parking Minimums
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