🍻 SEPTEMBER MEETUP
Join 5th Square organizers and volunteers for an informal, in-person meet-up over at Pennsport Beer Boutique! This is an outdoor, family-friendly event where we will provide updates on our recent campaigns.
We will also be discussing mobility, safe streets, and access to transit specific to South Philly. There will be food and beverage available for purchase at this event. The venue is accessible via bus routes 25, 29, 64, and 57.
At this meeting, we are honored to welcome:
- Nikil Saval, Senator for the 1st district in the Pennsylvania State Senate.
- Elizabeth Fiedler, Representative for the 184th district of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
- Appearances by Terrill Haigler, Michael Galván, and other City Council candidates
🏫 COLLEGE TRANSIT ACCESSIBILITY
Steven M. Falk, Philadelphia Inquirer
Philadelphia Inquirer recently published an article about transit access to community colleges around Pennsylvania. While the main campuses of Community College of Philadelphia and Delaware County Community College are well connected to transit, it is not the case on satelite campuses. However, changes from Bus Revolution may exacerbate problems. We are currently assessing the situation and will provide next steps once the analysis is finished. Feel free to contact us if you have any tips or thoughts via email, Twitter, or Slack.
🏞 SAFETY IN PUBLIC SPACES
Gun and traffic violence continue to be a problem throughout the city. The recent death of Parks & Rec employee Tiffany Fletcher, who died from crossfire during her work day at Mill Creek Rec Center in West Philly. It is sad that a place of joy and refuge for the community is now marred by tragedy. A crowdfunding page has been set up for her sons. We encourage you to contribute if you can. Our thoughts are with the Fletcher family and loved ones.
Lincoln Drive is in the Vision Zero High Injury Network, and West Mt Airy Neighbors Association wants to see an end to speeding vehicles in their neighborhood. They had a rally on Sunday to call for traffic calming measures on Lincoln Drive. If you missed the rally, you can pick up a yard sign or sign their petition.
Lastly, there is a memorial bike (and skate) ride on Saturday, September 24th to celebrate the life of Nyier 'Nas' Cunningham who was killed while riding a bike in July of this year. They will be starting from Rittenhouse Square and going to Nas' house and then to Nas Park. Tell all your bike pals and skate punks to RSVP with @bikebae215 (Instagram) and come by Rittenhouse at 12pm. Together, we can show that everyone belongs on the street.
Support our ongoing efforts for a more sustainable, walkable, and bicycle-friendly Philadelphia! Your donations go to promoting and informing urbanist issues and supporting candidates that support safety and equity.
Become a 5th Square member TODAY!
📢 MARKETING COMMITTEE MEETING
Reminder: 5th Square's monthly Marketing Committee meeting is tonight, September 13 at 7:00pm! No previous marketing experience is necessary, and all marketing disciplines are welcome!
5TH SQUARE IN THE NEWS
REGIONAL RAIL AND SEPTA FORWARD
5th Square was mentioned in West Chester University's student newspaper The Quad, with Will Tung mentioning our approval of Reimagining Regional Rail's Option 2. It's exciting to see students covering transit issues,
ROOSEVELT BLVD SUBWAY
5th Square member Jay Arzu was featured early this month on WURD Radio's ecoWURD program. He gave a recap of the Town Hall, highlighting some of the concerns of residents in attendance, a brief history, and comparisons to similar projects.
Arzu: "We want to do what we can to save lives. [...] It's not just about building a subway, this is about improving the quality of live and about saving lives on the Boulevard." (Listen to more...)
EVENTS
Take the Lane: a Right of Way reform agenda
Friday, September 16th from 12:30pm to 3:30pm
Center for Architecture, 1218 Arch Street
StreetBoxPHL’s inaugural symposium will be featuring exciting Philadelphia public space stewards and advocates, and will explore the changes needed to make it easier to make great places out of small spaces in the right of way.
South Philly Neighborhood Summit
Friday, September 16 from 5-7 pm
Mifflin Square Park, 6th and Ritner.
Saturday, September 17 from 10 am-6 pm
Snyder Ave Congregational Church, 300 Snyder Ave near 3rd St.
Friday's session will be a Neighborhood Storytelling & Performance, featuring residents sharing their stories of growing up around the park and how they became active in the community. Saturday's session will focus on how neighborhood organizations and residents can work together to implement the recommendations of Our Plan for Our Neighborhood: Community Plan for South Philadelphia between 4th and 9th Streets, Mifflin Street to Oregon Avenue. All events are FREE & OPEN to the public, with special encouragement to residents living around Mifflin Square. See mifflinsquareplan.org for more details.
Networks of Philly with Mike Dank
Saturday, September 24 from 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Iffy Books, 319 N. 11th St. #3E
Under your feet and above your eye line, data is soaring by through brightly-lit fiber cable and ethereal radio transmission. Mike Dank will give a presentation on the hidden internet infrastructure that surrounds us in Philly.
Trolleys of the Media, Rose Valley, Swarthmore Area
Sunday, September 25 at 4PM
The School in Rose Valley Grace Rotzel Center
20 School Lane, Rose Valley, PA 19063 (15 minute walk from the Moylan/Rose Valley station on the Media/Wawa line)
Stan Bowman, Electric Railway Historian, will describe the various trolley lines that served the Rose Valley area. Maps that show where the lines ran will be used to define the locations of various stops or vistas the trolleys accessed. Rose Valley Museum Non-Members: $20, Members: $15. Reservations required, purchase tickets online, email [email protected] or call (484)444-2961.
September 24 & 25
Cherry Hill, NJ (multiple locations)
Registration fee is $60 and will go up $70 on Sept. 12. Cycle through the beautiful back roads and flat terrain of South Jersey along with a community of riders dedicated to changing the world for people with MS. $300 minimum for fundraising.
Signs of Progress in Traffic Safety
Wednesday, September 28, at 2:00 PM (virtual)
This webinar, sponsored by Uber, will explore some of the traffic safety wins being seen by communities and what can be learned to inspire similar change elsewhere. Speakers from NACTO, Transportation Alternatives, and WABA will share their experiences on overcoming challenges and creating shifts, providing examples and resources for others who wish to do the same. Registration required.
Tuesday, October 11 at 7:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Crowne Plaza Harrisburg-Hershey, 23 South 2nd Street, Harrisburg
The 82 Alliance is hosting a half day Mobility Summit, featuring Stan Caldwell from the Traffic 21 Institute at Carnegie Mellon, and Jody Holton from Planning & Strategic Initiatives at SEPTA. Early bird tickets are $90 and are available until August 31st.
SURVEYS & EMAIL ACTIONS
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NJ TRANSIT’s Atlantic City Rail Line Service Study is conducting a brief survey to learn how rail service could be improved to better meet the needs of customers. Those who complete the survey and provide their contact information will be entered into a drawing for either a monthly pass or a $100 gift card.
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2nd and Laurel Street Intersection Survey - Northern Liberties Business Improvement District wants to hear about your preferences for the public space improvements associated with potential roadway adjustments at the 2nd Street and Laurel Street intersection.
- 2022 SEPTA Key 2.0 Survey - The survey will help in developing the Request for Proposal (RFP) for the next generation fare collection program, SEPTA Key 2.0. You can take the survey online, call in at (215) 580-7145 and selecting OPTION #3 (Commendations and Complaints) to take the survey over phone, or email [email protected] for a screen reader friendly PDF.
WHAT WE'RE READING
🏙️ HOUSING & LAND USE
Philadelphia Inquirer / Here’s how Philly’s property tax system compares with other cities
Billy Penn / Viking Mill artists blindsided as work begins to convert Kensington studios to luxury apartments
Insider / There's a simple fix for America's housing crunch: stop taxing housing
The NW Local Paper / Back to Life: Can a Germantown-based developer awaken Town Hall from its long slumber?
🌳 PUBLIC SPACEPhiladelphia Inquirer / The Roundhouse’s architect debunks a Philly urban legend: The building wasn’t designed to look like handcuffs
KYW Newsradio / DisneyQuest: The Philadelphia tourism-driver that never was
Sara Little Turnbull Fellowship - The Fellowship is a paid, 2-3 month, part-time or full time fall fellowship (on-site) for an early career woman or non-binary person of color who is curious, driven and passionate about design and design education. The fellow will be a part of Tiny WPA’s team, working as an in-house designer and contributing to the organization’s community-engaged design-build projects. We welcome applications from high school students, currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students, and recent graduates with a 2-year or 4-year degree from a public, private, or community college or university. The compensation range is $15-25 per hour. Applications are due on October 2, 2022 by 11:59 pm.
Feet First Philly Public Space Enhancement Mini-Grant - Feet First Philly is partnering with the Department of Public Health to provide funding for mini-grants of $500 to $2000 to create public space enhancements and safety improvements where they are needed the most. Residents and community groups in low income communities and communities of color are strongly encouraged to apply. The deadline to apply is Tuesday, October 11th at 11:59PM.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Wednesday Night Rides is looking for volunteers to help plan routes, assist with the rides, or any other input. If you enjoyed past rides, this is a good way to get involved.
BCGP’s 2022 Bicycle Counts - Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia is looking for volunteers interested in helping us with this process between September 6 and October 28. Bike counts happen on weekday mornings and evening from 7:30 – 9:00 AM and from 4:30 – 6:00 PM, weather permitting. Sign up today!
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
Old Pine Community Center / Communications & Engagement Coordinator
Tiny WPA / Assistant Fabricators/Designers
Tiny WPA / Lead Fabricator
City of Philadelphia /
Center City District / Retail Development Manager
Shift Capital / Development Finance Manager
- Executive Director
- Transportation Planner, Office of Freight and Clean Transportation
- Transportation Modeler / Analyst
Lawrence Hopewell Trail / Executive Director
Lime / Senior Manager, Safety Policy
Community Legal Services, Inc / Development Assistant
U3 / Senior Analyst
Office of Congressman Dwight Evans / Digital Media Manager
Lutheran Settlement House / Administrative Assistant
jawnt / Customer Success Manager
Oonee / Chief of Staff to the CEO
ULI Philadelphia / Manager
Center City District / Retail Development Manager
Temple University / Sustainability Coordinator
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.
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