April Fools!
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 227 //ย April 1, 2023
Thank you for reading our second April Fools Newsletter, if you aren't already a newsletter subscriber, sign up here!ย
All of these news items are satire, but obviously, with a kernel of truth touching on systemic issues with Philadelphia's broken political process and the way its affects our built environment and its residents.
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Newsletter: โ Announcing City Council Endorsements! / ๐ค Chinatown Stitch Survey / ๐ Life after KOP Rail
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 226
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CITY COUNCIL ENDORSEMENTS
Our City Council endorsements are out!
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Primary Endorsements - 2023 Philadelphia City Council
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEWednesday, March 22, 2023
5th Square is proud to announce its endorsements for the following candidates running for City Council in this yearโs primary elections.
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Newsletter: โฐ๏ธ R.I.P. KOP Rail / ๐ณ๏ธ Endorsement Vote Time / ๐๏ธ Our Statement on the Arena
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 225
โฐ๏ธ KOP RAIL PROJECT PAUSED
Last Friday, SEPTA announced that they are pausing the 4-mile King of Prussia rail extension to its Norristown High Speed Line. The project was expected to cost more than $3 billion.
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Statement on 76ers Arena Proposal
5th Square stands in full solidarity with those working to ensure that Chinatown remains a vibrant, affordable, and accessible center of the Chinese community in Philadelphia.
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Newsletter: ๐น Catch up on the candidates / ๐ Sign up for the Bus Revolution draft network webinar!
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 224
5th Square is Philadelphia's urbanist political action committee, organizing and advocating for better transportation, land use, and public space policies. Our work is made possible through the support of over 400 members donating anywhere from $5 to $25 a month.
๐ค๐ป CANDIDATE MEET AND GREETS, QUESTIONNAIRES, & ENDORSEMENTS
We recently held two meet and greets with mayoral and council candidates. if you missed these, don't worry! Recordings of candidate introductions are on YouTube:
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Newsletter: ๐ป Catch Up with the Candidates! ๐ Plus, tons of events!
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 223
๐ค๐ป NORTH PHILLY CANDIDATE MEETUP
The second of our two candidate meet & greet events is THIS Thursday at 6:30 PM, at Attic Brewing in Germantown.
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Newsletter: ๐ป Meet (and read) the Candidates / ๐ SEPTA Capital Budget news / โ๏ธ Pics from the Phreeze
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 222
๐ค๐ป CANDIDATE MEETUPS
Endorsement season is kicking off, so come meet us at two events! We will be joined by candidates for the Mayor and City Council running in the upcoming primary on May 16th.
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Newsletter: ๐ Support the trolleys! / ๐ป Candidate Meet & Greet Events / ๐จ RCO actions!
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 221
๐ SUPPORT NEW TROLLEYS
The monthly SEPTA board meeting is THIS THURSDAY at 3pm, and Trolley Modernization is on the agenda. We need you to voice your support for new trolleys!
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Newsletter: โ๏ธ So close to our Philly Phreeze goal! / ๐ด Streetery recap / ๐ป Candidate Meet & Greet Events
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 220
โ๏ธ FEEL THE PHREEZE
The chill of winter may make us long for a summer day by the pool, but our public pools are still in jeopardy. Parks and Rec needs more lifeguards and updated buildings, otherwise pools will have to stay closed.
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Newsletter: โ๏ธ Help Open Pools with Philly Phreeze / ๐ป Candidate Meet & Greet Events / ๐ Our 2023 Questionnaire & Platform!
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 219
โ๏ธ PHILLY PHREEZE FOR PUBLIC POOLS
5th Square is willing to dive like polar bears to help Parks and Rec raise money for lifeguards to keep public pools open.
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Newsletter: ๐ Roosevelt Blvd Subway News / โ ๏ธ Safety Study for Cecil B. Moore
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 218
๐ ROOSEVELT BLVD SUBWAY NEWS
SEPTA General Manager, Leslie Richards, weighed in on the Roosevelt Blvd Subway, saying it would be good for the city but is beyond agency's financial means.
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Newsletter: Read city emails ๐ง ๐ or sign up for the Marketing Committee meeting ๐ฅ
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 217
๐ฒ BIKE LANE RTKL
You may be familiar with the new Market St bike lane extension that was approved last year. Bike lanes on Market and JFK have been a long battle, first envisioned in 2009 and finally executed in 2018.
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Newsletter: Fill out the funnest Transpo Survey ๐บ and apply for a Slow Zone ๐ถ
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 216
๐ถ SLOW ZONE APPLICATION EXTENSION
The Neighborhood Slow Zone application deadline has been extended to February 15th. The Slow Zone Project offers residents the opportunity to work with the City to reduce vehicle speeds and improve visibility on neighborhood streets.ย
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Newsletter: โ๏ธLooking back โณ and setting our sites on the future! ๐
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 215
โ๏ธ A LOOK BACK AT 2022
We hope everyone had a great holiday season with plenty of fun and relaxation. We accomplished so much in our 8th year! We nearly doubled our membership. Lots of us wrote op-eds and made videos. Our meetup game was on point, with notable guests like Chuck Mahron, Dr. Jenny Schuetz, and M. Nolan Gray. We got over 40 mentions in the press, too!
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Newsletter: ๐ Houses for more neighbors!!
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 214
๐ TURN THE KEY
Councilmember Darrell Clarke has put forth a new program calledย "Turn the Key", which intends to put around 1,000 new houses on the market, specifically for first-time low-income residents. Civetta Property Group has alreadyย broken ground in Grays Ferry, being tasked with the first round of 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom rowhouses that will cost $230,000. Prospective owners will beย given a loan of up to $75,000ย matched with a second mortgage, and then the loan will be forgiven after 30 years.
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Newsletter: โโ๏ธ๐ Come party on Tuesday! ๐ and apply for a city Advisory Council
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 213
โโ๏ธ๐ LET'S CELEBRATE!!
Feeling urbanely festive? Put on your favorite sweater* and join us at 990 Spring Garden on Tuesday, December 20th from 7:00 to 9:00 PM for our Holiday Party! We'll be holding our Fourth Annual Urbanist Awards ceremony, featuring your favorite champions of urban policy! We'll also have plenty of food and drink, so bring a friend.
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Newsletter: โโ๏ธ๐ Youโre Invited to our Holiday Party!
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 212
โโ๏ธ๐ PARTY ALL THE TIME!
Feeling urbanely festive? Put on your favorite sweater* and join us at 990 Spring Garden on Tuesday, December 20th from 7:00 to 9:00 PM for our Holiday Party! We'll be holding our Fourth Annual Urbanist Awards ceremony, featuring your favorite champions of urban policy! We'll also have plenty of food and drink, so bring a friend.
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Newsletter: โโ๏ธ๐ Upcoming Holiday Party + Urbanist Awards ๐ Big Win for Sayre-Morris Pool
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 211
โโ๏ธ๐ YOU ARE INVITED TO OUR HOLIDAY PARTY!
Join 5th Square members and friends forย our Holiday Partyย atย 990 Spring Gardenย onย Tuesday, December 20thย fromย 7:00 to 9:00 PM, where we'll be holding our Fourth Annualย Urbanist Awardsย ceremony!
Come celebrate with other Philadelphia advocates at theย urbanist holiday party of the season!
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Newsletter: ๐ค Helping out is ๐ totally rad! ๐
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 210
๐ 2022 AWARD NOMINATIONS
The year end party is coming up on December 20th, and 5th Square will be presenting awards to a few members of our community for their outstanding contributions to Philadelphiaโs urbanist movement.
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Newsletter: ๐ค Volunteer! (And pester the Mayor's office too!)
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 209
๐ฅ VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION
If you've been wanting to help out 5th Square with your time and skills, we're now holding orientations for new volunteers.
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Newsletter: PA Grant awards ๐ต and a chance to shape the city budget...
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 208
๐ต RACP RECIPIENTS
The list of recipients for the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program is out.
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Newsletter: Go to the ๐ณ polls or ๐ Bus Revolution open houses
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 207
๐ณ VOTE!
If you didn't vote by mail, go vote today! The polls are open until 8pm. You can use Atlas to find your polling place by searching for your address. You can also use the Pennsylvania state website.
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Newsletter: ๐ Subway news, ๐ป November meetup, ๐ Bus Revolution open houses
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 206
๐ ROOSEVELT BLVD SUBWAY
The Roosevelt Boulevard Subway Workshop was this past Saturday morning, and featured Jody Holton of SEPTA, Ashwin Patel of PennDOT, and Mike Carroll of OTIS, the city transportation department.
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Newsletter: โฟ๏ธ Curb cuts for all! Plus a ๐ Roosevelt subway and a ๐ป November meetup!
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 205
โฟ๏ธ ACCESSIBLE PHILLY
Last week, the city settled a lawsuit with three disability advocacy organizations and four residents with disabilities.
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Newsletter: Check your mailbox ๐ฌ and mark your calendars for 10/29! ๐
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 203
๐ณ MIDTERM ELECTIONS!
Just like pumpkin spice and Halloween candy, midterm election season has descended upon us. It's time to get out your favorite sweater and No. 2 pencil and mark those mail-in ballots.
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Newsletter: ๐ธ Want safe routes to school? Apply for a Slow Zone! ๐ Chat at our Fishtown Meetup
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 203
๐ธ SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL
School is in session, and WalkWorks has a webinar to educate everyone about the Safe Routes to School program that encourages kids to bike or walk to school.ย
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Newsletter: ๐ฐ Bounty for Blocked Bike Lanes / ๐ Don't Mess with Transit / ๐ Our Next Meetup in Fishtown
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 202
๐ป MEETUP NEXT THURSDAY
Our October meetup is at the Mural City Cellars Wine Garden in Fishtown. Nextย Thursday 10/13 @ย 6:00pm
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Newsletter: ๐Time for a fall beer ๐ป outside and some YouTube ๐ฅ inside
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 201
๐ป MORE MEETUPS!
We have lots of things going on these days, like launching a blog, working on marketing, and keeping track of SEPTA changes. The City Council candidates are coming in each week as we gear up for election season. It's a great time to get together and talk shop with your fellow urbanists.
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Newsletter: ๐ An exciting annoucement! ๐
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 200
๐ A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
Since this is our 200th newsletter, we want to let you in on an exciting new project.
5th Square believes there is a lot more going on in city land use, housing, and transportation news than is being reported in the news media currently. Many of the publications that once covered city meetings on these topics more regularly no longer have the capacity to do it, or are no longer publishing.
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Newsletter: ๐Honoring victims of gun and traffic violence + ๐ events far and wide
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 199
๐ป SEPTEMBER MEETUP
Join 5th Square organizers and volunteers for an informal, in-person meet-up over at Pennsport Beer Boutique! This is an outdoor, family-friendly event where we will provide updates on our recent campaigns.
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Newsletter: ๐ป Bathroom break ๐ with reading material!
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 198
๐ป WE WANT RESTROOMS
The Center City Public Restroom survey results are out and 89% of participants were in favor of public restrooms! Many of the participants disliked the existing portable toilets and only 47% have used them.
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Newsletter: ๐ฒ Bike safety begins with infrastructure
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 197
๐ฒ SHARING THE ROAD
As reported by PhilyVoice and Philadelphia Inquirer, charges were dropped against the garbage truck driver that struck Emily Fredricks in 2017. When the case is cut and dry, like an impared driver, it makes sense that the driver should face consequences for their actions.
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Newsletter: Meet us at ๐ป Pennsport and ๐ Roosevelt Blvd!
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 196
๐ป๐ MEETUP AT PENNSPORT
This Thursday, come to Pennsport Beer Boutique for our meetup at 7pm. Walk, take the 57 or 64 bus, or bike down Washington to Moyamensing, then get a beer and vent with us about the state of multimodal transportation!
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Newsletter: More ๐ Roosevelt Blvd Subway updates. Don't forget the ๐ป August Meetup!
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 195
๐ป๐ AUGUST MEETUPS GALORE!
We're having our next meetup on August 25th at Pennsport Beer Boutique in South Philly. We have lots of new faces online and it's time to connect offline with a beer in hand. This is a great opportunity to chat with like-minded people about urbanist issues as a professional or a volunteer. We can talk shop and hatch some plans, or just relax in good company.
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Newsletter: Go to the ๐ Roosevelt Blvd Subway and our ๐ป August Meetup!
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 194
๐ BUILD THE ROOSEVELT BLVD SUBWAY!
If the idea of a subway going down Roosevelt Boulevard has caught your interest, you're in good company. We at 5th Square have just launched a petition to get the region's transit planners and politicians together to start working on the Roosevelt Boulevard Subway.
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Newsletter: ๐ Roosevelt Rail?! ๐ House appraisal bias ๐๐ Looking for marketing volunteers!
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 193
๐ ROOSEVELT BLVD SUBWAY TOWN HALL
Rail on Roosevelt Boulevard has been continuously proposed and discarded for the past 100 years, and 5th Square member Jay Arzu is on a mission to bring it back. Considering that Roosevelt Blvd is on the Vision Zero High Injury Network and also a major thoroughfare, getting better public transit on the street makes sense.
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Newsletter: โ ๏ธ HB140 action, ๐ notes from the DVRPC, and ๐บ our members are in the media!
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 192
๐ฒ REMOVE HB140 AMENDMENT
The Inquirer has an article about the changes to HB140, the parking protected bike lane bill, and how it went from a straightforward bill to one that would hamper efforts for bike infrastructure and had an unrelated directive for a SEPTA transit crime prosecutor. In response, the Bicycle Coalition is asking for people to email their state senators for the removal of this amendment.
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Protect the University City Townhomes Community and Preserve Philadelphia's Affordable Housing
We stand with theย tenants of UC Townhomesย and demand a halt to eviction from the residentsโ home of many decades. This is merely the latest incident in a long history of displacement of Black families from the Black Bottom community.ย It is imperative that Altman make every effort to preserve this community that has thrived for four decades in the current property.
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Newsletter: โ ๏ธ Updates on Cobbs Creek, HB140, and ๐ FDR Park Meadows events
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 191
๐ง COBBS CREEK PARKWAY UPDATE
PennDOT will be having a meeting this Thursday to review and provide feedback for the 63rd Street/Cobbs Creek Parkway Safety Improvement Project. This covers 63rd St and Cobbs Creek Parkway from City Ave to Woodland Ave.
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Newsletter: โ๏ธ Whole-Home repairs , ๐ง Wash Ave updates, ๐ beach trip posponed
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 190
๐ BEACH TRIP POSTPONED
Due to forecasted rain, the beach trip was moved to July 30th. If you had to miss the trip, now's your chance to get in on the fun! We'll be meeting at 30th Street Station at 8:05am to ride the train to Atlantic City and catch some rays. Tickets are $60 for Adults 12+, $30 for children 5-11, kids 4 and under are free.
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Press Release: 5th Square Reaction to Next Phase of Washington Ave Repaving Project
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEFriday, July 8, 2022
PHILADELPHIA โ
In todayโs announcement for the next phase of the Washington Avenue Repaving Project, the City has shifted from the previously-compromised mixed-lane layout to retaining the existing dangerous roadway layout west of 11th Street โ the section within the 2nd Council District.
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Newsletter: The great outdoors ๐ ๐ !
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 189
๐ BEACH TRIP SPOTS AVAILABLE!
Join us on July 9th at 8:05am for a family-friendly day down the shore this summer with your favorite group of Urbanist advocates. We're headed to Atlantic City and have a fun day planned of hoagie-eating, jitney-riding, beach-laying, and of course, margarita-drinking. Let's meet at 30th Street Station and, of course, take a ride aboard the Atlantic City Rail Line.
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Newsletter: Good news, bad news for ๐... or take a train to the ๐!
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 188
๐ FUTURE TRANSIT FUNDING
With ridership still down since the start of the pandemic, public transit agencies around the country will be grappling with a fiscal cliff for operation. SEPTA will be able to support operations with CARES Act funding until 2024, but without service increases and with ongoing bus driver shortages, it may not be enough.
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Newsletter: Come talk ๐ and take a train to ๐! Plus, new SEPTA fares...
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 186
๐ BOOK TALK WITH NOLAN GRAY
5th Square is pleased to welcome author M. Nolan Gray to Philadelphia for a book talk about his newly-published book about U.S. housing policy titled "Arbitrary Lines: How Zoning Broke the American City and How to Fix It." The event will take place on Friday, June 24th at 7:30pm at Resurrection Philadelphia near 42nd and Baltimore Ave. Light refreshments (pizza, beer, and seltzer) will be served.
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Newsletter: ๐ง EMAIL KENNEY RE: WASHINGTON AVE, ๐ TWO UPCOMING EVENTS!
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 186
๐ง EMAIL KENNEY RE: WASHINGTON AVE
Councilmember Mark Squilla has passed through the Streets & Services Committee the legislation needed for his part of Washington Ave east of 11th.
However, Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson, will not be amending the bill to include his section of Washington Ave from 11th St to Grays Ferry Ave.
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Newsletter: ๐ฅช Hangout on Thursday, ๐ write to elected officials on Friday!
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 185
๐ฅช NORTHWEST MEETUP ON THURSDAY!
Our next meet-up has moved to THIS THURSDAY, June 9nd at 6 PM over at Manayunk Crossing (next to the movie theater)! We will be discussing mobility, safe streets, and access to transit specific to Northwest Philly neighborhoods.
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Newsletter: ๐ก MAD about Washington Ave / ๐ฅช Meetup Thursday / ๐ ๏ธ Whole Home Repairs
Weekly Newsletter, Issue 184
๐ก MAD ABOUT WASHINGTON AVE
Ask City Council to prioritize safety for Washington Ave.
Heard the news? The City's plans for safety measures on Washington Ave are being jeopardized by one person: Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson.
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Morris Arboretum Should Welcome Pedestrians Too
Dear Morris Arboretum,
I have a lot of fun memories at Morris Arboretum. Itโs the perfect place for family reunions. (The fernery is always a hit.) And Iโve also been there on a date, a highschool field trip and a birthday celebration, and it never gets old. Itโs no wonder that you attract 130,000 visits a year. It is, however, odd that nearly all of these visits will be made by motor vehicle.
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Press Release: SEPTA FY 2023 Capital Budget
5th Square members and volunteers submitted the following comments to SEPTAโs FY2023 Capital Budget Public Hearings.
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