🌆 OUR GRID MAGAZINE FEATURE

Grid Magazine's Patrick Kerr sat down with our co-chair, Dena Driscoll, who talked about 5th Square and our issue goals for 2021 -- it's worth a read!

The article covers our goals for transit, housing, public space and elections as our city emerges from the pandemic.

Help us achieve these goals for 2021 and beyond!

When you join as a member, you help us raise the resources we need to keep building and mobilizing our base of supporters again and again, whether it's for safer streets, better transit, or dozens of other local issues in your area, including city and state elections.

🛣️ REDESIGNING BEN FRANKLIN PARKWAY

The City released a request for proposals last week seeking consultants for a major redesign of Ben Franklin Parkway! This cannot come soon enough as this major civic space in our city has been perennially dangerous to pedestrians and cyclists.

We have a unique opportunity here to transform this space from a speedway for personal cars into a world class public realm.

Ryan Briggs writes about this for WHYY's PlanPhilly where 5th Square volunteer Ben She weighed in with what we'd love to see done to this stretch,

"We’d like to see, at minimum, the outer lanes pedestrianized. But closing off Eakins Oval at the Art Museum would be huge.”

Read Ben's post on our blog about what we want to see from a Parkway redesign.

🚲 SIGN THE MLK DRIVE PETITION

The Bicycle Coalition has a petition asking the City to prioritize people over cars for MLK Jr. Drive after the pandemic ends, and it is ALMOST AT 5,000 SIGNATURES!

Let's help get it over the edge and make sure this valuable public space remains an asset to the city going forward.

EVENTS

Wednesday, March 10, 6 PM
Athenaeum of Philadelphia | Design and the Just City with Toni Griffin
Would we design better places if we put the values of equality, inclusion or equity first? If a community articulated what it stood for, what it believed in, what it aspired to be — as a city, as a neighborhood — would it have a better chance of creating and sustaining more healthy, vibrant place with positive, economic, health, civic, cultural and environmental conditions?

Thursday, March 11, 8 AM
DVSGA | Akira Drake Rodriguez on Race and Smart Growth
DVSGA is hosting Professor Akira Drake Rodriguez of the University of Pennsylvania about the intersection of race, planning, and development in our region and how smart growth can respond to a long overdue call to action on considering the role of race in regional growth patterns.

Thursday, March 11, 7 PM
5th Square | March Monthly Meet-Up & City Transit Plan Introduction
Join us for our March meet-up where we will be discussing the new City Transit Plan with guests from the Mayor's Office of Transportation, Infrastructure, & Sustainability.

Monday, March 22 to Friday, March 26
BCGP | Vision Zero PHL Week Program

Philadelphia's Vision Zero Conference is going online this year and will be a week (March 22-26) of individual sessions, each day tailored to a different topic, with some amazing keynote speakers.

GRANT, PROJECT, & EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

The PIDC-D’Alessio Scholarship Fund supports graduate students at Philadelphia schools seeking to pursue a career in urban development and finance (Due 3/31)

Spring 2021 Citizens Planning Institute Application - CPI’s main programming is an eight-week course that empowers citizens to take a more effective and active role in shaping the future of their neighborhoods and of Philadelphia through a greater understanding of city planning and the steps involved in development projects. Deadline to apply: midnight on Friday, March 19.

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Green Building United | Program Coordinator

USDOT | Public Health Advisor

Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) |Regional Digital Advocacy Campaign Manager

DVRPC | Internships

Bicycle Transit Systems | Field Technician, System Installation/Expansion Technician

Design Advocacy Group (DAG) | Part-time Fellow

The Welcoming Center | Program Manager, Entrepreneurship

Stix | Performance Marketing Manager, Lifecycle & E-commerce

U3 Advisors | Analyst

Michael Baker International | GIS Solutions Engineer

City of Philadelphia Jobs

Parks and Recreation | Grounds Maintenance Supervisor (Grounds) Recreation Leader Trainee (General) (Bilingual)

Streets Department | Street Crew Chief 2 (Traffic Sign)

MDO, Philly Counts | Communications and Digital Engagement Manager, Data and Reports Coordinator, Regional Organizing Manager, Director of Neighborhood Engagement Director of Training and Evaluation

Innovation and Technology (OIT) | User Experience Designer Business Intelligence/GIS Developer Analyst

Philly311 | Exempt Covid-19 Data and Reporting Analyst Temporary, Exempt Covid 19 Contact Center Team Lead Temporary, Exempt Covid-19 Call Taker Temporary

Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations | Executive Director of Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations

Office of the Chief Administrative Officer | Senior Design Researcher

Law | Assistant City Solicitor, Real Estate and Development Unit

Mayor’s Office | Special Aide to the Mayor

City Planner 2 (General)

Sustainability | City Energy Manager

MDO/Rebuild | Rebuild Communications Director

Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity | Chief of Staff

Mayor’s Office of Communications | Deputy Digital Director, Deputy Communications Director