Weekly Newsletter, Issue 116 🥇 2020 PRIMARY ELECTION VICTORIES After an exceptionally long campaign season followed by weeks of waiting for mail-in ballots results, the dust has settled and we finally know the winners in all of the races we endorsed in. Continue reading

5th Square provided the following oral testimony to Philadelphia City Council's Committee on Streets and Services on June 15th, 2020. We are testifying in support of Bills #200351, and #200352 - which make it easier for restaurants city-wide to operate sidewalk cafes, and authorizes the Streets Department to reallocate street space for the use of people during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 115 🌇 SUPPORT EMERGENCY HOUSING PROTECTIONS 5th Square supports the Emergency Housing Protection Act proposed by Councilmembers Gym, Brooks and Gauthier, and calls on the full City Council to pass the 5 bills voted out of committee.  Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 114 BLACK LIVES MATTER We take this moment to bear witness to the tragic murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and mourn every Black and Brown life lost due to racist actions and policies. Continue reading

HEY PHILLY VOTERS! Still haven't voted yet? This thread will list all the options you have to vote, from now until 8PM on Election Day (which is Tuesday)! Continue reading

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Weekly Newsletter, Issue 113 Primary elections are now on June 2nd due to COVID-19 -- request your mail-in ballot today and get it in by next Tuesday, May 26th! SUPPORT THE RECOVERY STREETS PLATFORM Continue reading

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Weekly Newsletter, Issue 112 Primary elections are now on June 2nd due to COVID-19 -- request your mail-in ballot today! 📫 DID YOUR MAIL-IN BALLOT ARRIVE? Many of our members got ours in the mail last week! Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 111 ENDORSEMENTS 5th Square is pleased to announce our 2020 endorsements for PA State House! The primary election is coming up on June 2nd and we are encouraging everyone to maintain social distancing by requesting their mail-in ballot today. Continue reading

Weekly Newsletter, Issue 110 ACTION 🚇 Sign TODAY to Support our Fair Fares Agenda! 🚍 Continue reading

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