🏖 BEACH TRIP POSTPONED
Due to forecasted rain, the beach trip was moved to July 30th. If you had to miss the trip, now's your chance to get in on the fun! We'll be meeting at 30th Street Station at 8:05am to ride the train to Atlantic City and catch some rays. Tickets are $60 for Adults 12+, $30 for children 5-11, kids 4 and under are free.
- Train & Jitney Fare
- Hoagie from White House Subs
- Food & 1 Drink or Appetizer from Landshark Bar & Grill
🛠 WHOLE-HOME REPAIR ACT
The Whole-Home Repair Act was passed last Friday, which will enable homeowners to weatherize their homes as well as fix structural issues in older houses. The average home in Philly was 93 years old in 2018 and is certainly prone to things like sagging walls and leaking roofs. Lower-income homeowners aren't able to finish repair projects, or even start them, without sacrificing precious income. Since certain federal house weatherization programs won't cover the repair needed before weatherization, the Act can fill in those financial gaps. It also provides funds for a workforce program to add more construction and repair jobs, as Senator Saval anticipates a large uptake in the program. Landlords with only a few properties can take advantage of it as a loan program, so renters will benefit as well.
Thanks to everyone that came to the postcard event, signed the petition, and supported Saval and his office with passing this legislation. We're looking forward to Philly residents having a happy and healthy home life.
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5TH SQUARE IN THE NEWS
Washington Avenue
The Washington Ave repaving project has been approved and will be started at the end of the month -- but only half of the avenue east of Broad St will get the road diet and safety features. While it is a relief to see progress for the debacle, the west side of Washington Ave has more injuries and fatalities than the east.
The Inquirer's recent article on Washington Ave included a quote from 5th Square co-chair Dena Driscoll. "Our city has failed every user of Washington Avenue, especially its most vulnerable. [Fresh new pavement on five lanes] will attract speeding and bring back drag racing [west of Broad Street]."
EVENTS
Demystifying "Affordable" Housing
July 13 at 12:00pm – 1:00pm (Virtual)
Join Troy Hannigan, Director of Development at Community Ventures, and Tya Winn, Executive Director of the Community Design Collaborative alongside Habitat for Humanity’s Young Professionals group for a virtual conversation that demystifies “affordable” housing. This conversation will be moderated by Director of Policy at City of Philadelphia Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity Beth McConnell.
July 13 at 7:00 pm
NW Corner of Drexel Park
This time, the ride goes through Powelton Village, Grays Ferry Crescent & Bartram's Garden, ending in West Philly (TBA). Last week they had 70 riders! Open to everyone.
Using Inclusive Development as a Strategy to Improve the Economy
July 14 at 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM (virtual through Zoom)
Design Advocacy Group and Gregory Reaves of Mosaic Development Partners will discuss inclusive economic development, insights related to investment in disenfranchised communities and housing affordability beyond the Navy Yard. Reaves will also focus on hiring BIPOC businesses, the overall goal of building wealth in neighborhoods and reducing poverty. Registration required.
Northwest Traffic Calming Committee Meeting
July 24 at 4:00 pm
Carpenter Lane Station (310 Carpenter Lane)
Please come to the NWTCC Organizing Meeting where will will discuss the next steps needed to make Lincoln Drive Safer for everyone. We will also discuss how to request traffic calming on your own neighborhood street as well as how to make walking to school safer this coming school year. Sign the corresponding petition if you haven't already.
SURVEYS & EMAIL ACTIONS
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State National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Plan Survey - The NEVI Formula Program provides dedicated funding to Pennsylvania and other states to strategically deploy EV charging infrastructure and establish an interconnected network to facilitate data collection, access, and reliability.
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Vision Zero | Cecil B. Moore - DVRPC is conducting a survey about possible street safety implementations on Cecil B. Moore Ave from Willington Street to 10th Street.
- 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.
WHAT WE'RE READING
🏙️ HOUSING & LAND USE
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette / Pa. budget allots $375 million in federal funding to housing programs
The Nation / Does Building Luxury Condos Create More Affordable Housing?
Green Building United / C-PACE Expansion in Pennsylvania
🌳 PUBLIC SPACE
Philadelphia Inquirer / These Philly suburbs started closing their streets on weekends during the pandemic, and they might never stop
The Atlantic / Cities Aren’t Built for Kids
GRANTS, FELLOWSHIPS & CFPs
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ULI Philadelphia UrbanPlan for Communities Application - UrbanPlan, from the Urban Land Institute Philadelphia, aims to engage local community members in an interactive dialogue about the challenging issues, varying private and public sector roles, complex tradeoffs, and economics that are at play in land use in communities nationwide. This program is open to Citizens Planning Institute (CPI) graduates and/or Registered Community Organizations (RCO) board members/committee chairs and will be hosted on Thursday, August 18, from 8:30am-4:30pm in Philadelphia.
- Join the New Leaders Council PHL board! NLC trains and connects the local changemakers who champion equity and fuel progress. We invest in those historically excluded from leadership pipelines, yet are best equipped to solve our nation’s most challenging issues. More information is on their website.
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Applications for the Committee of Seventy’s 2022-2023 Buchholz Fellows program are now open! The Buchholz Fellows are emerging young leaders (recommended age is 25-35) working in the private or nonprofit sector. Fellows will have the opportunity to gain invaluable experience in nonprofit leadership by serving as one of our board members. Fellows are matched with a current board member who will serve as a mentor and advisor during the fellowship year.
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
Philadelphia City Council / Director of Communications for Councilmember Gautier
Transit Forward Philadelphia / Coalition Manager
Community Legal Services of Philadelphia / Communications and Social Media Associate
Rebuilding Together Philadelphia / Communications Manager
School District of Philadelphia /
Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon / Communications Assistant
Green Building United / Development Manager
Independence Blue Cross / Lead Provider Experience Measurement & Insights Lead
Comcast / Sr Specialist, Employee Communications
Nationalities Service Center / Various positions
Philadelphia Department of Public Health / Canvass Data Coordinator
Delaware Nature Society / Youth Development Coordinator - DEEC
Habitat for Humanity / Grants Coordinator
Women's Community Revitalization Project (WCRP) / Organizing Director
YIMBY Action / Development Associate
The New Pennsylvania Project / Chief Operating Officer
Robert Schalkenbach Foundation / Assistant Director
Jarrett Walker + Associates / Senior Public Transit Planner and Project Manager
City of Philadelphia
- Complete Streets District Supervisor
- Equitable Engagement Manager
- Equitable Engagement Trainer
- Senior Infrastructure Coordinator
- Lifeguard
- Crossing Guard
- Community Development Corporations Program Manager
Civic Eagle / Various (Programmers, finance)
Smart Growth America / Thriving Communities program associate
Friends of the Wissahickon / Field Coordinator
5th Square is Philadelphia's urbanist political action committee.
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