📚 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.
Philadelphia housing politics watchers are no strangers to the ways in which zoning policy is used and abused to block needed housing for people, and we're looking forward to talking about that, as well as the big picture of how advocates are winning important reforms to this institution across the country. We'll also be joined by guest moderator, Inquirer editorial board member Daniel Pearson, who'll be bringing the Philadelphia context to some of the book's themes, and facilitating some audience discussion.
🏖 BEACH TRIP
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.
- Train & Jitney Fare
- Hoagie from White House Subs
- Food & 1 Drink or Appetizer from Landshark Bar & Grill
🚌 SEPTA FARE CHANGES
Look out for new fare pricing starting July 1st. The base fare of $2.50 won't be going up, but other passes will be going down:
- Fare within Regional Rail Zone 1 will go down to $3.75 (Key card only)
- Fare from the airport will be $6.50 (Key card only)
In September, you'll see some new types of passes:
- New One Day Neighborhood FleX Pass is $10 for 10 rides on buses, subways, trolleys, and Zone 1 and 2 Regional Rail stations (starts in September)
- "One Day Independence Pass" will be "One Day Anywhere FleX"
- Both FleX passes will have a 10% discount for a 3-pack
This seems like a positive change for riders and we hope to see continued effort for affordable fares.
Support our ongoing efforts for a more sustainable, walkable, and bicycle-friendly Philadelphia! All contributions go to supporting elected officials and campaigns that shape the city.
Become a 5th Square member TODAY & help us decide who to endorse in the next election!
🌳 GET A STREET TREE
Worried about rising temperatures? Want to contribute to a healthy urban canopy? Apply for a street tree through the city! Street trees are typically planted on the sidewalk or other public areas. You can apply for a tree in front of your home or business via phila.gov.
EVENTS
Houwzer’s RiseUp Fund Affordable Housing Panel
Tuesday, June 21 from 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM EDT
Drexel University's Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships
3509 Spring Garden Street
RiseUp Fund is hosting a panel discussion on affordable housing issues featuring Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, Drexel Assistant Professor Dr. Sharrelle Barber, Shift Capital CEO Brian Murray and Houwzer CEO Mike Maher. The free event will begin with a brief showing of the investigative documentary, "Push: The Global Housing Crisis" by United Nations Special Reporter Leilani Farha. Free, RSVP required.
Happy Hour with City Council members, staffers and journalists
Tuesday, June 21, 6:00 PM
Pen & Pencil Club, 1522 Latimer St.
Come out to meet the people who run City Hall -- and the reporters who cover it! The event, hosted by Councilmember Derek Green, is a perfect opportunity to meet the people working behind the scenes at City Hall as well as the journalists covering the city. This event is free but please register.
Toward A More Sustainable SEPTA: Opportunities from Federal Infrastructure Funding
June 30, 2022 at 8:00am - 9:30am
Pipeline Philly, 30 S 15th St
On Thursday, June 30th, join SEPTA leaders, Philadelphia elected officials, and transportation advocates for a breakfast panel discussion about the opportunities for sustainable infrastructure investments in the new federal infrastructure bill, and how SEPTA plans to take advantage of these.
SURVEYS & EMAIL ACTIONS
- Reimagine the Parkway - Survey 1 This public survey is part of the first round of engagement to help refine the vision and goals for the Benjamin Franklin Parkway Public Realm Plan and gather the priorities for uses of the Parkway from a diverse audience. As you take the survey, please think about the "Parkway" within the planning area focus.
-
Permanent public restroom survey - The City of Philadelphia has funding to pilot one permanent public restroom in Center City, and will be using this survey to gauge interest in more public restrooms and amenities. Note: the gender demographics questions are awkward, but you can use the "other" category instead.
-
School District of Phila - Early Dismissal Survey - Next year’s Academic Calendar includes days where students are dismissed early. The District is seeking feedback from families on their plans and needs for after-school childcare on early dismissal days.
-
PennDOT is conducting a survey for the I-95 Girard Interchange. This covers Allegheny Avenue south through the Interstate 676 Interchange at Race Street.
WHAT WE'RE READING
🏙️ HOUSING & LAND USE
The Atlantic / The Real Villain in the Gentrification Story
Marginal REVOLUTION / Work From Home and commercial real estate values
WHYY / University City Townhomes tenants could get more time to relocate
Public Source / ‘I’m going to lose no matter what.’ Allegheny County’s property tax saystem would be illegal in most states
🌳 PUBLIC SPACE
WHYY / Breaking deadlock on Philly Rebuild funds rests with Council committee vote
Philadelphia Inquirer / The Schuylkill is clean but has a public relations problem, study finds
WHYY / Cambodian market to be permanent part of FDR Park
6abc Philadelphia / Dozens rally in Cobbs Creek to demand opening of unused Olympic-size swimming pool
GRANTS, FELLOWSHIPS & CFPs
Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency / Kathy A. Possinger Housing Policy Fellowship
The goal of this program is to support the development of new perspectives and approaches to significant unmet housing or community development needs across Pennsylvania through a self-directed research project. Completed applications must be submitted via email to [email protected] no later than 5PM EST, July 1, 2022.
Rutgers University's Center for Urban Research and Education is looking for proposals for papers that address regional patterns of segregation and evaluating their impact on neighborhood disparities across metropolitan areas, including policies related to single-family zoning, ADUs, land banking, etc. Full text for this proposal is on Twitter. Please submit one-page abstracts in PDF form to [email protected]. Abstracts are due by midnight on Friday, July 1st. For further information, please contact [email protected].
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
SEPTA / Manager, Planning Programs (7074) - Trolley Modernization
LANTA / Procurement Coordinator
Philadelphia City Council / Director of Communications for Councilmember Gautier
Civic Eagle / Various (Programmers, finance, HR)
Smart Growth America / Thriving Communities program associate
The Nature Conservancy / Urban Climate Resilience Manager (#51548)
Friends of the Wissahickon / Field Coordinator
Spak Group / Leasing and Marketing Manager
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation / Program Officer, Policy
Reinvestment Fund / Community Development Loan Officer/Director, MidAtlantic
Princeton University / Program Coordinator, Eviction Lab
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.