Weekly Newsletter, Issue 319 🔰 FRIDAY: WHY WE SHOULD TAX LAND Join us on Friday, February 28th for the Wharton-Weitzman Future of Cities Conference, where 5th Square is co-sponsoring a lightning talk on Why you should tax land, and how you should value it. The talk will be presented by Josie Faass, Executive Director of the Progress and Poverty Institute, and Will Jarvis, CEO of Valuebase. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 318 🛣️ FULLY FUND VISION ZERO This budget season, 5th Square joining roadway safety groups calling on the Mayor and City Council to contribute $5 million to Vision Zero in the city's upcoming budget.  Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 317 🦅 GO BIRDS! Congrats to the Eagles! As Sunday night's celebrations showed, our city becomes a truly special place when our streets are filled with people and not cars. Go birds! Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 316 🏙️ WHARTON-WEITZMAN FUTURE OF CITIES CONFERENCE Join us on Friday, February 28th for the Wharton-Weitzman Future of Cities Conference, sponsored by 5th Square! Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 315 📅 TRANSIT EQUITY DAY 2025 Join advocates at Transit Equity Day 2025 on Saturday, February 8th. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 314 📣 GET INVOLVED WITH VISION ZERO OTIS is in the process of developing its Vision Zero Action Plan for the next five years and there's an opportunity for you to get involved to help make our streets safer. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 313 🏙️ BUSY WEEK FOR EAST MARKET What a week it's been for East Market Street. Last Thursday, it was announced that Macy's will be closing its Center City store, leaving the 13th and Market Wanamaker Building empty. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 312 🚇 TONIGHT: LAST ROOSEVELT BLVD OPEN HOUSE Tonight is the last Roosevelt Blvd open house! PennDOT, SEPTA and the City of Philadelphia have been hosting a series of open houses on the future of Roosevelt Blvd where they're asking YOU to choose a transit option for the future of Roosevelt Blvd. Continue reading

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday, January 6th, 2025 PHILADELPHIA — Last Friday, a man was killed and a woman was injured as they attempted to walk across Washington Ave at Front Street. Just six months prior, a man in his 60s was struck and killed crossing the same intersection. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 311 👀🗓️ LOOKING BACK ON 2024 As 2024 comes to a close, let's take a moment to reflect on some of our victories and accomplishments from the past year. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 310 🎁 LAST-MINUTE GIFT IDEA Need a last-minute gift for the urbanist in your life? We still have some GrimGrimGrim Blvd Subway shirts left in stock. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 309 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. A huge thank you to the folks who attended our Holiday Party last Friday! It was a great night celebrating our 10th year as an organization and the achievements of our award winners and urbanist community! Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 308 ☃️🥳 HOLIDAY PARTY ON FRIDAY THIS FRIDAY, Join 5th Square members and friends for our annual Holiday Party + Urbanist Awards Ceremony at Indy Hall! Come celebrate with other Philadelphia built environment activists, neighborhood and community leaders, architects, planners, builders, and sustainability advocates at the urbanist holiday party of the season! Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 307 🍻 TOMORROW: HAPPY HOUR WITH WELCOMING NEIGHBORS NETWORK  Join us TOMORROW for an informal meet-up with abundant housing advocates from across the Northeast Region of Welcoming Neighbors Network (WNN)! Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 306 🥳 SEPTA DEATH SPIRAL AVERTED Governor Shapiro announced that he is flexing $153 million in federal highway to SEPTA. Averting disastrous service cuts, fare increases, and the transit death spiral that would ensue. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 305 🚋 THIS THURSDAY: MEETUP AND TROLLEY MODERNIZATION UPDATES Join us this THURSDAY November 21st from 6-8pm for an informal, in-person meet-up over at Resurrection Philadelphia’s Annex! This is an indoor/outdoor, family-friendly event. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 304 🚲 LEGALIZE PARKING PROTECTED BIKE LANES There is still a chance during this legislative session to legalize parking protected bike lanes in PA. Legislators will be back in Harrisburg on November 13th to “wrap up” some bills. Reach out to State Legislators Today. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 303 🗳️ VOTE TODAY It's Election Day! Stop by your polling place between 7am and 8pm and go vote! Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 302 🚲🥳 NO MORE BIKE LANE PARKING! We have a major victory to announce! After more than a decade of hard work by activists, it will soon be illegal for drivers to stop in bike lanes. Last Thursday, City Council unanimously passed Bill 240657, which prohibits stopping in any bike lane citywide and increases fines for bike lane parking. Continue reading

5th Square's Steering Committee issues the following statement: The removal of the housing component of the 76 Place project is a huge step backwards for Philadelphia, especially given our city’s massive housing shortage. Residential density lowers housing costs and reduces cost pressure on current housing stock. Canceling these units also jeopardizes meeting our Mayor’s stated goal of 30,000 new housing units in the next four years. Continue reading