Weekly Newsletter, Issue 200 🎉 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. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 199 🍻 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. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 198 🚻 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. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 197 🚲 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. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 196 🍻🚇 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! Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 195 🍻🚇 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. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 194 🚇 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. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 193 🚆 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. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 192 🚲 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. Continue reading

We stand with the tenants of UC Townhomes and demand a halt to eviction from the residents’ home of many decades. This is merely the latest incident in a long history of displacement of Black families from the Black Bottom community. It is imperative that Altman make every effort to preserve this community that has thrived for four decades in the current property. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 191 🚧 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. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 190 🏖 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. Continue reading

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEFriday, July 8, 2022 PHILADELPHIA — In today’s 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 – the section within the 2nd Council District. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 189 🏖 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. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 188 🚍 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. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 186 📚 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. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 186 📧 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. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 185 🥪 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. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 184 😡 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. Continue reading

Dear Morris Arboretum, I have a lot of fun memories at Morris Arboretum. It’s the perfect place for family reunions. (The fernery is always a hit.) And I’ve also been there on a date, a highschool field trip and a birthday celebration, and it never gets old. It’s 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. Continue reading

5th Square members and volunteers submitted the following comments to SEPTA’s FY2023 Capital Budget Public Hearings.   Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 182 🚲 HB 140: PARKING PROTECTED BIKE LANES A bill to legalize parking protected lanes in Pennsylvania had a hearing last month, which included testimony by Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia's executive director Sarah Clark Stuart among others. However, no vote has been called. There are a few parking protected bike lanes already, but these are only pilot programs. There is nothing to assure that these would be permanent. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 182 🗳 2022 PRIMARY ELECTION INFO Endorsements Paul Prescod for the 8th Senate District Marylouise Isaacson for the 175th House District Joe Hohenstein for the 177th House District Jonathan Lovitz for the 182nd House District Elizabeth Fiedler for the 184th House District Andre Carroll for the 201st House District Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 181 🗳 2022 PRIMARY INFO Did you get your mail-in ballot but are unsure what to fill in? Here are our picks for the primaries and ballot questions. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 180 🎉 HOLIDAY PARTY THIS THURSDAY! We are pleased to announce the Holiday Party and Awards Ceremony, now scheduled for this Thursday, May 5th! It's a great opportunity to meet community leaders and like-minded folks. We will be announcing the winners of the 2021 Urbanist Awards. We will have beverages and snacks, and children over 5 are welcome. Proof of vaccination is required. Tickets are $30 online and $40 at the door (children are free). Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 179 🚌 🛣 BUS ONLY LANES As SETPA's Bus Revolution gets underway, there is a potential problem on the horizon. Many key routes connect disparate parts of the city and are extremely slow. No matter how the bus routes change, the busses will still have to deal with traffic. One great way to speed things up is to add bus only lanes to the street. We need to show the City that we want bus lanes! Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 178 🚲 25th STREET REDESIGN The City has another survey out for redoing 25th Street in South Philly, underneath a viaduct that needs significant repair. There are three different designs being put forward: Design A which has two lanes, parking, and loading zones, Design B with two lanes, protected bikes lanes, and a raised pedestrian crossing, and Design C, which has four lanes and parking and loading on the curb. We feel that Design B has the most benefits for all residents, being available for all kinds of traversal and one of the few city streets with protected bike lanes. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 177 🚲 PARKING PROTECTED BIKE LANES Last Monday, the State Senate Transportation Committee held a hearing about HB140, which amends Title 75 to legalize parking separated bike lanes. Sarah Clark Stuart of the Bicycle Coalition provided testimony in favor of the bill. The City of Philadelphia with Kittleson and Associates has already released a study on parking separated bike lanes as part of a cycling network. There are already some bike lane pilot projects like this around the city that were granted special permissions through PennDOT, like Market St and JFK Blvd. However, passage of HB140 would allow those and other projects to become permanent. If you haven't already, send an email to your elected officials to encourage them to take the vote on this in April. There are only a few days left for legislative sessions... Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 176 ⛽️ GAS TAX REBATES 5th Square members Fae Ehsan and Caitlin Nagle wrote an op-ed in the Inquirer against a possible gas tax rebate, as gasoline prices are on the rise. They felt that it does little to address the structural problems facing low-income Pennsylvanians while exacerbating the climate crisis and lining the pockets of Big Oil. Continue reading

Newsletter, Issue 175½ // April 1, 2022 Thank you for reading our first April Fools Newsletter Issue, if you aren't already a newsletter subscriber, sign up here!  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. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 175 🔑 SEPTA INSTITUTIONAL PASSES Recently, SEPTA announced Key Advantage, their institutional pass program. Drexel University, Penn Medicine, and Wawa are their first participants for the 6 month trial. The passes will be active May 1st. 5th Square co-chair Jon Geeting and our partners at Transit Forward Philadelphia were instrumental in getting the program up and running. Continue reading

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASETuesday, March 22, 2022 5th Square is proud to announce its endorsement for the following candidates for this year's 2022 Pennsylvania primary elections. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 174 📣✅ 2022 ELECTION ENDORSEMENTS Following the polls of our membership, 5th Square is proud to announce its endorsement for the following candidates for this year's 2022 Pennsylvania primary elections. Paul Prescod for the 8th Senate District Marylouise Isaacson for the 175th House District Joe Hohenstein for the 177th House District Jonathan Lovitz for the 182nd House District Elizabeth Fiedler for the 184th House District Andre Carroll for the 201st House District Continue reading

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Tanya Seaman yesterday, March 17th, 2022, after a courageous battle with terminal cancer. Tanya was a tireless advocate for Vision Zero in Philadelphia and our world is better off for having her. She was co-founder and past executive director of PhillyCarShare. In her role as co-chair of SOSNA's vision zero committee, she spearheaded multiple roadway safety projects in her community.  Her advocacy and leadership will endure in Philadelphia's built environment with everybody who uses our streets enjoying a safer and more-equitable means of travel. We are posthumously publishing the op-ed she wrote advocating for a safer Washington Avenue. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 173 🚮 LITTER FREE STREETS AT LAST...? The City is holding virtual meetings via Zoom about the upcoming Mechanical Cleaning Pilot Program on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of this week. The street cleanings will be starting on April 4th in 14 different neighborhoods: North Central, Frankford, Germantown, Kensington, Logan, Nicetown, Paschall, Point Breeze, Port Richmond, South Philly (Lower Moyamensing), Southwest, Strawberry Mansion, West Fairhill, and West Philly. Zoom ID: 836 7765 6475Passcode: 127032Phone dial-in number: 267-831-0333 Tuesday, March 15, at noonTuesday, March 15, at 3 p.m.Wednesday, March 16, at 6 p.m.Thursday, March 17, at 10 a.m.Thursday, March 17 at 6 p.m. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 172 🤝🍻 MEMBERS-ONLY EVENT: 2022 CANDIDATES MEET & GREET Did you sign up for a membership already? Do you want to be a member? Come join us at Buffalo Billiards in Old City and get to know the candidates running in your district, hear their takes on urbanist topics, and sign their petitions to get on the ballot. Thursday, March 10th, 2022 at 6:30 PM Continue reading

5th Square members and volunteers came to SEPTA's FY2022 Capital Budget Amendment hearings today to advocate for Bus Revolution Trolley Modernization Subway Station Accessibility Reimagining Regional Rail Here is the spoken testimony delivered at the virtual public meeting today by 5th Square members and volunteers. Continue reading

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASETuesday, March 1, 2022 PHILADELPHIA — Today, Philadelphia’s Office of Transportation, Infrastructure and Sustainability (OTIS) announced that they are proceeding with the ‘Mixed Layout’ option for Washington Avenue. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 170 📢 REMINDER: PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE FOR WASHINGTON AVE The city is holding a public Open House for Washington Ave tonight, March 1st @ 6:30 PM, to unveil the final plans. It will be held in person at the Christian Street YMCA (1724 Christian St), following COVID-19 guidelines, and a virtual option on Facebook Live. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 170 📢 PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE FOR WASHINGTON AVE The city announced the location of their public Open House for Washington Ave, where they plan on releasing the final-final-final plans for this roadway on Tuesday, March 1st @ 6:30 PM. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 169 ✍️ KEEP UP THE PRESSURE AT WASHINGTON AVENUE This weekend, we were out on our Washington Ave Families event, making signs and postcards against the street layout changes. Continue reading

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEThursday, February 10, 2022PHILADELPHIA — On Monday, 5th Square established its Safer Washington Avenue Fund, specifically dedicated to electing Philadelphia candidates who will pledge to uphold the City's stated Vision Zero goals. In four days, it has drawn more than $10,000 in donations. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 168 ✉️ WASHINGTON AVENUE IN JEOPARDY We are asking everyone to contact OTIS, the Mayor, and Councilmembers Johnson & Squilla to tell them we want the safest possible option for Washington Ave -- the original 3-lane layout. Continue reading

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASESunday, February 6, 2022PHILADELPHIA — Yesterday, the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Transportation, Infrastructure, and Sustainability (OTIS) released its update on the Washington Avenue Repaving and Improvement Project which backtracked from their September 2020 “Final Design Decision.” The City’s new plan eliminates the safest roadway layout, the 3-lane layout, from consideration in its design. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 167 🎩 RUN FOR A COMMITTEE PERSON SEAT IN 2022 Want to take the next step up toward neighborhood political leadership, and help 5th Square support great candidates for office in the 2022 and 2023 elections? Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 166 🏗️ BOOK EVENT: CONFESSIONS OF A RECOVERING ENGINEER Join 5th Square and friends for a guest talk by Chuck Marohn, founder of Strong Towns, at Philly Office Retail at 4701 Germantown Ave. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 165 ✅🚲🏙️ JOIN US FOR THE 2022 ELECTIONS Help us decide which Philly-area candidates to support for 2022 races in the PA State Senate and PA State House. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 164 ☃️ HOLIDAY PARTY INVITATION You're invited to our fun year-end Holiday Party at 990 Spring Garden on Wednesday, December 22nd at 7 PM, where we'll be holding off our Third Annual Urbanist Awards ceremony! Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 163 🏆 Nominate Your Faves for Our Annual Urbanist Awards! We are taking nominations for the following categories through Friday, December 10th: Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 162 📛 MEETUP THIS THURSDAY Join 5th Square organizers and volunteers for an informal, in-person meet-up in West Philly this Thursday at 6 PM. This is an indoor/outdoor, family-friendly event where we will provide updates on our recent campaigns and talk about what's in store as we start to wrap up 2021. Continue reading