5TH SQUARE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER: May 1, 2018

Map: 100+ urbanist candidates running for committee person

5th Square's weekly newsletter reaches over 10,000 subscribers with the news, events, and opportunities Philly urbanists need to know about each week. Support our advocacy.


ELECTIONS

There are over 100 urbanist candidates on the ballot for Democratic committee person seats on May 15th! Committee people are elected volunteers who make up the base of the local party organizations and these can be powerful neighborhood leadership positions.We reviewed the list of candidates appearing on the ballot in the May 15th primary, and are recommending over 100 candidates for Democratic City Committee who have previously shown interest in our mission or urbanist issues in Philadelphia like better transit, safer streets for pedestrians and cyclists, and zoning reform. Check out our map to see if there is a recommended candidate running where you live.

Take the Reviving Vine survey from DVRPC to support the transformation of Vine Street into a walkable, urban street that serves all types of users


EVENTS

Tuesday, May 1, 6:00 pm
Cobbs Creek Parkway Corridor Study (60th to 70th)
Cobbs Creek Parkway in Southwest Philly is infamous for its speeding traffic, complex intersections, high crash rates, and dangerous conditions for pedestrians. Come to this meeting tonight to hear the results of a neighborhood-wide survey and help advocate for a safer and better-connected Cobbs Creek Parkway.

Thursday, May 3, 6:00 pm
Riverwards Urbanists Walking Tour + Meet-up
Live in Fishtown, Northern Liberties, or Kensington and want to meet other people interested in urbanist issues like transit, housing and zoning, architecture and design, and safer streets for walking and biking? There's a walking tour and social meet-up next Thursday, starting with a walking tour of the "Frankford Ave Connector" area hosted by Fishtown Neighbors Association, with staff from Delaware River Waterfront Corporation and PORT Urbanism. Afterward there will be a social meet-up upstairs at Front Street Cafe.

Friday May 4-Saturday May 6
Jane's Walk Weekend
Jane's Walk Philadelphia is showcasing over a dozen volunteer-led walking conversations all over Philly on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, including a few hosted by 5th Square friends and volunteers. If you love dangerous, overengineered roads, check out the walking tour of University City's collection of PennDOT arterials on Friday, and the tour of Delaware Ave on Sunday. 


NEWS

Mayor Jim Kenney is passing up a once-a-decade opportunity to redesign Lincoln Drive, one of the city's most notoriously dangerous roads, with a $12 million "restoration" project that mainly consists of repaving. 5th Square co-chair Dena Driscoll tells Philly Mag “repaving Lincoln Drive with no plan for serious design changes is like putting a Band-Aid on an open gash.” Read our statement on Mayor Kenney's missed opportunity for a Vision Zero redesign of Lincoln Drive.

As SEPTA finally prepares to eliminate tokens, here's a sobering look at the state of the SEPTA Key card project, which has almost doubled in cost and still has no definite end-date. Key is being released with a fraction of the features that modern fare systems are expected to have in 2018, and many of the features that are currently available still aren't up to snuff. SEPTA should cut their losses and formulate a new contract based on best practices to avoid making a bad situation worse.

Councilman David Oh proposed City Council's low-key worst idea of the year: a clever new plan to forever destroy the accuracy of Philly's property assessments by turning the routine updating of assessments into a political nightmare for Councilmembers

Councilman Mark Squilla still won't support a mixed-use plan for the long-vacant lot next to Pat's and Geno's despite a 20-3 vote of support from Passyunk Square neighbors

The new 40th Street Trolley Portal and The Woodlands desperately need a crosswalk across Woodland Avenue

Bulk transit fares are coming to Lehigh University for both students and staff



OPPORTUNITIES

PIDC is hiring a Marketing Communications Manager

LISC and ESPN released an RFP for the Replay program

Urban Land Institute - Philadelphia is hiring an Associate

TRA is hiring a Project Analyst



5th Square is Philadelphia's urbanist political action committee.
 We're an all-volunteer grassroots organization advocating for safe and affordable transportation, abundant housing, and more and better public spaces. You’re receiving this email if you signed up via our website, attended one of our events, or supported one of our advocacy campaigns. Our work is made possible by generous, passionate people like you. Support our advocacy with a recurring monthly contribution of $5 or more.