FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEWednesday, April 22, 2020 5th Square is proud to announce its endorsement for the following candidates for State Representative in this year's 2020 Democratic primary elections. Vanessa McGrath for the 175th District Malcolm Kenyatta for the 181st District Brian Sims for the 182nd District Elizabeth Fiedler for the 184th District Morgan Cephas for the 192nd District Darisha K. Parker for the 198th District Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 109 ACTION 🚇🚍🚆 Last week 5th Square released our 2020 Fair Fares Platform and we want you to show your support to help win these important changes when SEPTA votes this May. Continue reading

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Weekly Newsletter, Issue 108 ACTION: Save Public Transportation! Contact your members of Congress and tell them to save public transportation Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 107 EVENTS Out of an abundance of caution, 5th Square is indefinitely postponing all our scheduled events and meet-ups.  Thank you for your interest and we hope to resume these meetings soon! Continue reading

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Weekly Newsletter, Issue 106 BIG ANNOUNCEMENT Come to the big launch event this Thursday to kick-off Philly's new transit advocacy coalition Transit Forward Philadelphia! Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 105 ACTION SEPTA is considering making transfers free when they vote on their new fare policy this spring, but it's not a done deal just yet. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 104 ACTION 5th Square kicks off our candidate endorsement process starting TODAY.  Our endorsement process is only open to our membership. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 103 ACTION We are gearing up for the 2020 Election Season!  Pennsylvania's primary is early this year on April 28th because of the Presidential election, and candidates running for state office will be on the ballot too. Learn about the state of the primaries and meet some of the candidates running at our monthly meet-up. Continue reading

SEPTA Market-Frankford train by Ben Schumin / CC BY 2.0 The Market-Frankford El is, once again, afflicted by new cracks in the steel beams inside the subway cars. SEPTA spent over $3 million on a specialized repair facility for this issue last fall, and another $15 to $18 million is needed for a permanent fix. The repairs are slated to take several years, negatively impacting the number of trains available for service. Why is the public just finding out about it now? Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 102 5th Square will be holding our 2020 candidate endorsement votes in mid-February. Become a member today for as little as $5 a month to vote on our candidate slate in this year's state legislative primaries. Primary elections are on April 28th this year, so make sure to register to vote online or update your voting address.  Continue reading

ACTION Join us Wednesday, January 15th for 5th Square's first monthly meet-up of the year, at Dock Street Brewery South from 6-8 pm.Our monthly meet-ups are a great way to get to know 5th Square members and volunteers, hear from guest speakers on urbanist topics, and start to get involved in transportation and planning politics with us and in your neighborhood. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 100 RETROSPECTIVE Welcome to the 100th edition of 5th Square's newsletter, our first of 2020. In this special edition, we want to take a pause to reflect on some of our accomplishments as a team over the past year and offer a peek at our plans for 2020. Continue reading

Thank you to everyone who attended our year-end Holiday Party and Urbanist Awards ceremony at Radio Kismet on December 18th! Continue reading

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. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 99½ ACTION Get your tickets today for our 2019 Holiday Party + Awards Ceremony Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 99 ACTION Help Save the Delaware Waterfront from More Suburban Sprawl Continue reading

What an amazing Election Day! Three out of three of our endorsed candidates, Helen Gym, Jamie Gauthier, and Kendra Brooks won their races and are headed for City Council!    Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 98 ACTION Tomorrow, November 5th is Election Day! Pennsylvania polling places are open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. Go to the Pennsylvania Department of State’s website to find your polling place. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 97 ACTION Make your voting plan for November 5th!5th Square is thrilled to support three champions for City Council who align with our organization's core values and advocate for a better Philadelphia with safe and affordable transportation, abundant housing and better public spaces.  Continue reading

5th Square announces its endorsement of Kendra Brooks for City Council At-Large! Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 96 ACTION Write Your Reps: City Council’s Parking Minimums Bill is an Assault on Affordability and the Climate There was originally a hearing scheduled today for a bill (160710) first introduced by  Councilmember Jannie Blackwell back in 2016 that would have increased minimum parking requirements Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 95 ACTION The November 5th election is just a month away, and at our next meet-up is on Thursday, October 10th, you'll have a chance to hear from the independent candidates running for City Council At-Large: Kendra Brooks and Nic O'Rourke from the Working Families Party and Independent candidate Joe Cox. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 94 ACTION Join 5th Square as a Member TODAY and you can help us shape our endorsements for the general election in the coming weeks. Membership costs as little as $5 a month and comes with the ability to vote in our endorsement process! Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 93 ACTION Lombard Street needs a protected bike lane! Lombard Street is being repaved and the City doesn't have any plans to protect this vital stretch that connects cyclists with the South Street Bridge. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 92 ACTION Help win a protected bike lane for Lombard Street! Lombard Street is being repaved and the City doesn't have any plans to protect this vital stretch that connects cyclists with the South Street Bridge.  Sign our petition today to let Councilmember Johnson and The Philadelphia School know that you support a protected bicycle lane for Lombard! Continue reading

Thanks so much for signing our petition calling for a westbound protected bicycle path on the Grays Ferry Bridge. I'm writing to share a few encouraging updates. We have reached over 500 signers and have some promising news to report! Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 91 ACTION Take the 2019 Philadelphia Resident Survey to weigh in on quality of life in the city, and what your priorities are for the Kenney administration. Completed entries are entered to win one of twenty $50 gift cards. Continue reading

ACTION Can you take 1 minute to add your voice for a safer Delaware Ave?Sign this petition calling on the City to add protections to the Delaware Ave bike lane Delaware Avenue is being repaved and re-striped right now—and it needs a protected bike lane. That's why we're supporting the Bicycle Coalition's petition action to protect cyclists on Delaware Ave.   Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 89   ACTION Sign our Free Transfers Petition to demand that SEPTA to end the $1 transfer penalty when the SEPTA board votes on fares next spring. SEPTA leadership is still resisting calls from the Kenney administration's transportation team, and from within their own ranks, to eliminate the $1 transfer penalty. Continue reading

ACTION Our July monthly meet-up is happening tonight at Craft Hall (901 N. Delaware Ave.) from 6-8 pm.We're excited to welcome special guest Alex Baca, Housing Program Organizer for D.C.-based urbanist advocacy organization Greater Greater Washington.  Continue reading

ACTION Important street safety legislation is coming up for a general vote in the Pennsylvania State House.  We are asking you to call your state rep today and tell them to vote in favor of House Bill 792,which would give cities and towns across Pennsylvania more flexibility to install protected bike lanes on our state routes in Philadelphia. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 86 All aboard the beach train! To celebrate the return of the Atlantic City Rail Line service between Philadelphia and Atlantic City, we booked a limited-number of discount train tickets for a family-friendly group trip to the beach this Sunday, June 9th. Continue reading

Summer is here and 5th Square has two fun June events coming up that you won't want to miss! Continue reading

The 2019 election results are in, and we at 5th Square want to say THANK YOU for all the help and support Philly's urbanist community provided to us and to candidates during this primary election cycle. There was a lot at stake this year, and with your help, we were able to make our core issues of mobility, land planning, and public space policies an important part of the election season conversation. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 85 VOTE TUESDAY! Tuesday's election is an opportunity that only comes once every four years to really shift the power at City Hall to elected representatives who can help us win more frequent and reliable public transit, safer streets for pedestrians and cyclists, and abundant and affordable housing for all Philadelphians. Read up on 5th Square's 2019 endorsements and vote for a pro-transit, pro-bike, pro-housing City Council tomorrow, Tuesday, May 21st. Continue reading

For the upcoming 2019 primary election on May 21st, 5th Square Endorses: Council At-LargeAdrián RIVERA-REYES #54Helen GYM #56Eryn SANTAMOOR #60Justin DIBERARDINIS #80 District Council 2nd DistrictLauren VIDAS #84 District Council 3rd DistrictJamie GAUTHIER #85 Charter Change Question #4“Public Safety Enforcement Officer” - YES   Continue reading

Candidates for City Council and for other public offices had great responses on public transportation in the "Broke in Philly" questionnaire! Our endorsed candidates especially shined! Most candidates favored family-friendly fares, discounted or free youth rates, expanding university pass programs, optimization of the bus system, and ending the $1 transfer fee. Several Council candidates we didn’t endorse also had good ideas for transit, showing that the tide is turning on this issue. Here are their responses to the question: “How will you increase access to public transportation in Philly?” Continue reading

Next Tuesday May 21st is Primary Election Day!  This election is a once-every-four-years opportunity to make a major difference for urbanist causes in Philadelphia, with local elected officials having outsized responsibility for whether our built environment, and especially our transportation and housing systems, are accessible for all residents. Continue reading

We endorse a "Yes" vote for Proposed Charter Change Question #4 in the upcoming May 21st election, establishing the title of "Public Safety Enforcement Officer" to assist the Police Department in regulating the flow of traffic. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 83 The 2019 Election is in just three weeks!Check out 5th Square's 2019 City Council slate and vote for a pro-transit, pro-bike, pro-housing City Council on Tuesday, May 21st. We're supporting Lauren Vidas for District 2, Jamie Gauthier for District 3, and Helen Gym, Justin DiBerardinis, Eryn Santamoor, and Adrian Rivera-Reyes for At-Large.  Not able to make it into the polls on Election Day?  Click here to get an absentee ballot which must be received by the County Board of Elections by Tuesday, May 14th.   Continue reading

City Council candidates weighed in on bike lanes in the inquirer’s 2019 primary survey, with almost all saying they support more bike lanes. But some of these candidates are incumbents who have wielded some real power over Street apportionment for many years, so rather than ask them about this in the abstract, we can actually check the record to see what they’ve done in practice. Continue reading

ACTION We are deep into Election Season here in Philadelphia, with less than a month to go before the big day on May 21st.  Check out who all is on the ballot using Committee of Seventy's ballot tool and look up your polling place to see where you vote. This week, we are featuring a huge array of candidate events so you can get involved with supporting our endorsed slate of candidates for a more accessible, sustainable, equitable Philadelphia for all residents! Take a look at the following events, pick a few to check out, and sign up with a campaign to help get out the vote in the final weeks of the campaign!  Continue reading

ACTION Are you registered to vote? Have you recently moved or are new to Philly? Make sure you Register to Vote right now!  In order to participate in the upcoming primary election on May 21st, you MUST register to vote (and select a party affiliation) by April 22nd! -- You can register online!   Continue reading

With the City’s ill-conceived rollout of an untested, dirty, and inefficient ‘leaf blower’ program to blow trash around our streets, 5th Square calls on the city to restore what our citizens deserve: consistent, citywide curb-to-curb mechanical street sweeping. Continue reading

ACTION TONIGHT: South Philly and Riverwards neighbors can attend one of three local meetings happening tonight to voice their support for safer streets for biking and walking.  Continue reading

ACTION Pedestrian priority is under threat in Philadelphia's iconic Italian Market, if Midwood Investment gets its way. Will you sign the petition opposing driveways in the 9th Street Market? Continue reading