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.
These are some of the most dangerous arterials which also have the most space available for protected lanes. This is critical legislation, and getting it through the House ASAP is an essential step.
Click here to find your legislator and their contact information.
When you call, here are some points to include:
- Hi! I’m a constituent of Representative ____. I am calling to ask him/her to please vote YES on HB792.
- Pennsylvania and its cities and towns need the flexibility to design safe bike lanes.
- HB792 is a technical fix that will allow Pennsylvania municipalities to make streets safe for everyone.
- Thank you!
What changes could we see from PennDOT's upcoming Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan? It depends on what they hear from Pennsylvania residents!
Next Tuesday, June 25th at Industrious, we'll hear from Roy Gothie, Pedestrian and Bicycle Coordinator at PennDOT, about the Commonwealth's upcoming plan for increasing biking and walking and improving safety.
Gothie will give a presentation on the plan, followed by an audience Q&A. We'll also discuss what the plan will mean for PennDOT's collection of arterials and state routes downtown and in our neighborhoods, which are often some of the most dangerous in the city for pedestrians and cyclists.
This event is hosted by the Bicycle Coalition, the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals, Rails to Trails Conservancy, and 5th Square.
SURVEY
Shortest survey ever! Take University City District's one-question pedestrian safety survey here.
Thank you to those who attended our meet-up last week! We had a great time hearing from Jamie Gauthier, the incoming 3rd District Councilmember, and talking about West Philly housing and transportation issues. Our monthly meet-ups are on the second Thursday of every month from 6-8. Add our new public Google Calendar for reminders about our monthly meet-ups and other upcoming 5th Square events.
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EVENTS
Wednesday, June 19th, 6 - 8 pm
Transforming City Greenspaces
Women For A Sustainable Philadelphia is hosting an evening of networking, expert guest speakers, and discussion about City green spaces at Greensgrow featuring Julianne Ortega, Vice President and Chief of Programs at Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS), Angel Rodriguez, Executive Director of the Philadelphia Land Bank,a nd Amanda Sirois, Events Manager at Greensgrow.
Thursday, June 20th, 6 - 8 pm
Urban Geek Drinks - June Convening
The Urban Geek Drinks happy hour is hosting their June meet-up at Independence Beer Garden this month.
Friday and Saturday, June 21st and 22nd
Design With Nature Now
Design With Nature Now is a two-day conference at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design that will highlight dynamic and visionary approaches to landscape design and development in the face of climate change and urbanization.
Tuesday, June 25th, 6:30 - 8 pm
34th Louis I. Kahn Award, honoring Diller Scofidio + Renfro
Join the Center for Architecture and Design for their 34th Louis I. Kahn Award, honoring the architecture firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R) - most widely known for their designs for New York City's High Line and for the High Line's newest addition, The Shed.
NEWS
SEPTA's 22 new electric, emission-free buses hit the streets recently, and the Inquirer looked at the state of this technology and its environmental footprint compared to other transit vehicles. While electric buses have lower carbon emissions than hybrid or diesel buses, any bus is far more preferable from a climate standpoint to transporting the same number of people by personal car. SEPTA needs more people to ride any of its buses in order to meet its sustainability targets, which is why the upcoming Comprehensive Bus Network Redesign is such a critical piece of Mayor Kenney's sustainability agenda, and a major advocacy priority for 5th Square this year.
Incoming Third District Councilmember, Jamie Gauthier, appeared on Conrad Benner's Streets Dept Podcast and discussed her recent election win, and some of the big issues facing the 3rd District.
Council President Darrell Clarke is back in the news with yet another questionable land deal favoring a politically-connected developer, which was made possible by the discretionary Council-directed process we have for managing city land.
Randy LoBasso of the Bicycle Coalition and Samantha Mogil of the American Heart Association write about the importance of urban cycling as part of a safer, healthier and more active population. The case for better bicycle infrastructure is often heavy on safety messaging, but policymakers should be considering the strong public health case too. Daily physical activity is important for a healthy population, and our built environment should be designed to promote that kind of activity as a part of people's daily routines.
GRANT & PROJECT OPPORTUNITIES
The 2019 Registered Community Organization (RCO) registration period will be open from June 1st to June 30th.
Volunteer with your friends & family at Philly Free Streets! Philly Free Streets will be back on North Broad Street on Saturday, August 3 from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. from City Hall to Butler Street and Germantown Ave. Each year, volunteers have helped make Philly Free Streets possible! 2019 will be no different! Sign up for a shift today with your family & friends. Volunteers can be 14+
National Youth Bike Council is seeking Philadelphia volunteer activists.
State Farm Neighborhood Assist is back to help even the smallest of causes make a big impact in their communities. The program awards $25,000 grants to 40 nonprofit organizations to help fund neighborhood projects involved in Education, Safety, and Community Development. They're accepting 2,000 submissions starting June 5th, and we'll need your help to decide who wins!
Wetlands Park RFP: Design Services for a Delaware River Wetland Park for South Philadelphia. The Delaware River Waterfront Corporation (DRWC) requests proposals from qualified interdisciplinary design teams to develop ecologically- and community-centered concepts for a unique riverfront ecological park on the Delaware River.
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
Philadelphia Parks Alliance is seeking an Executive Director
The William Penn Foundation is now hiring a Program Associate for the Creative Communities program.
Verified Voting (www.verifiedvoting.org), a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization whose mission is to strengthen democracy for all voters by promoting the responsible use of technology in elections, is seeking a communications officer.
Center City District is seeking a Vice President for On-Street Operations
The West Philly Tool Library (WPTL), a nonprofit community tool lending library, is seeking a paid Tool Librarian
The City of Philadelphia is seeking a Coalition Organizer for Philly Counts 2020
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is seeking a Director of Organizational Effectiveness
New Jersey Future is looking for a skilled, organized, motivated individual to manage communications, working committees and member relations for Jersey Water Works, a large and growing collaborative focused on transforming New Jersey’s inadequate water infrastructure.
Sidecar is seeking a Senior JavaScript Engineer
Temple University is hiring a Director of Sustainability
Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson (JMT) is seeking a program manager for an increasing number of large capital construction programs in the Philadelphia region.
5th Square is Philadelphia's urbanist political action committee. We're an all-volunteer grassroots organization advocating for safe and affordable transportation, abundant housing, and more and better public spaces. You’re receiving this email if you signed up via our website, attended one of our events, or supported one of our advocacy campaigns. Support our advocacy with a recurring monthly contribution of $5.