โโ๏ธ๐ LET'S CELEBRATE!!
Feeling urbanely festive? Put on your favorite sweater* and join us at 990 Spring Garden on Tuesday, December 20th from 7:00 to 9:00 PM for our Holiday Party! We'll be holding our Fourth Annual Urbanist Awards ceremony, featuring your favorite champions of urban policy! We'll also have plenty of food and drink, so bring a friend.
Come celebrate with other Philadelphia advocates at the urbanist holiday party of the season!
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*Don't have a sweater for the occasion? We still have some of the awesome Miriam Singer sweatshirts in small, medium, and extra large left, now on sale for $20! Buy one today
๐ COMMUNITY ADVISORY COUNCIL POSITIONS OPEN
The Mayor's Fund with the city Service Design Studio are looking for 12 residents to take part in the "Equitable Community Engagement Toolkit Community Advisory Council". They're looking for organizers or other engaged and interested individuals to guide the city on best practices for engagement.
Engagement details:
- Addressing the access needs of communities who identify with a wide range of disabilities
- Including Indigenous and Native perspectives alongside Black, Brown, Asian, and other communities of color
- Spanish, Arabic, Russian, and Vietnamese language inclusion, considering the needs of people whose primary language is other than English.
- Addressing those who donโt feel comfortable using technology or donโt
- have access to digital devices or the internet.
This is a position with a stipend of up to $6,000 made in three payments. Applications are due by Monday, January 16, 2023, by 5:00 pm EST. Applicants must live in Philadelphia and must be individuals.
More details are available via this PDF. Once you've read through the specifics, you can apply online.
Please email [email protected] if you have questions.
๐ SEPTA KEY CARDS FOR ASYLUM SEEKERS
Good news! We were able to give out 15 Key cards with around $92 - $96 on each card! The Key cards proved to be very popular with asylum seekers that are staying, especially to check out Christmas Village. However, another bus was sent from Texas that had more people, and we'll need to get 15 more cards. We will also need to figure out how to transition the program to the City and make it a more sustainable program.
In the meantime, if you have extra funds to spare, add them to our fundraiser!
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You can help us make a walkable, transit-friendly city for everyone with your financial contributions. Become a 5th Square member today!
5TH SQUARE IN THE NEWS
A MORE PERFECT UNION
The Inquirer recently finished a new series called "A More Perfect Union", exploring the origin and legacy of institutional racism in the city. Urban planner and 5th Square steering committee member Camille Boggan was in an article about her vision for the future of transit. Last week, Boggan was part of a panel called "Inquirer LIVE: A More Perfect Union's 'The Blueprint'", where she along with Errin Haines, Layla A. Jones, and Yannick Lowery spoke at length about planning and transit in a racial context. The extent of racism is quite deep, but Boggan and her cohort had fantastic insights about how Black residents dealt with public spaces and envisioning a future that nourishes and celebrates Blackness. The entire series is worth a read, and hopefully we will have more discussions like this coming from the Inquirer or other local outlets.
"You deserve this. We can be architects. [..] Our leaders can make these changes. They're absolutely capable of it. We need to keep asking for what we deserve." (Watch more)
EVENTS
No events this week, except our holiday party! Enjoy your winter holiday โค๏ธ and get extra COVID tests!
Going out via transit? Here are all the service changes:
ย | Bus | MFL | BSL | Trolley | NHSL | Reg. Rail |
Dec 24th | Saturday sched. | ย | ย | ย | ย | Saturday sched. |
Dec 25th | Sunday sched. | ย | ย | ย | Sunday sched. | Special service |
Dec 26th | Special sched. | ย | ย | ย | Weekday sched. | Sunday sched. |
Dec 31st | Saturday sched. | ย | ย | ย | ย | Saturday sched. + late trains |
Jan 1st | Sunday sched. | 12am start | 12am start | Sunday sched. | Sunday sched. | Sunday sched. |
Jan 2nd | ย | ย | ย | ย | ย | Sunday sched. |
Regional Rail: Saturday and Sunday service are the same EXCEPT Paoli/Thorndale. Thorndale, Downingtown, Whitford, Exton do not run on Sundays, Holidays or the Special Christmas Schedule.
Bus routes 204, 310, 311 and LUCY will not run on 12/25 or 1/1
SURVEYS & EMAIL ACTIONS
-
Clark Park Master Plan - Friends of Clark Park are working on a new plan for future development.
- I-95 Girard Avenue Interchange - This survey is to collect feedback on the potential reconnection of Poplar Street between New Market and Front Streets under I-95. The survey will be open until December 16, 2022.
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Walter Rand Transportation Center Improvement Project - NJ Transit is looking for feedback, specifically for pedestrian access, food service, and general facility concerns. See NJTransit.com for more details.
WHAT WE'RE READING
๐๏ธ HOUSING & LAND USE
The New York Times / The Climate Impact of Your Neighborhood, Mapped
New York Daily News / NYC Council proposes housing construction targets for every neighborhood
WHYY / The only overnight shelter for single adults in Montgomery County is fighting to stay open
Bloomberg / Section 8 Lawsuit Accuses Philadelphia Landlord of โModern-Day Redliningโ
Planetizen / Parking Reform for Affordable Housing Production
๐ณ PUBLIC SPACE
Billy Penn / Festival Pier breaks ground: What to expect at the huge new development coming to the Philly waterfront
Mary Elizabeth Chase, Mirna Ali / Visible Languages of Philadelphia
๐ TRANSIT
GRANTS
Pennsylvania Environmental Council has announced their Regrant Program that provides one and two-year grants of $1,000 to $10,000 per year for projects that increase a sense of welcome, belonging, and safety among under-represented groups on the Circuit Trails, which includes trails like the Schuylkill River Trail, Cobbs Creek Trail, Heinz Refuge trails, Delaware River Trail, Camden Waterfront trails, D&R Trail, D&L Trail, among many other trails in area. Priority will be given to projects led by and engaging under-represented and marginalized groups; projects that promote equity and serve historically disinvested communities; and organizations with a budget of less than $500,000. Applications are due by Thursday, December 22 at 11:59pm. Any questions, please email Emilia Crotty with Pennsylvania Environmental Council at [email protected].
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
The Pennsylvania Ornithological Records Committee is looking for a secretary which is a volunteer position but comes with an annual $1500 stipend. They're looking for someone with bird knowledge and data skills. Email [email protected] for more info, or check the PA Birders Facebook group (private).
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
SEPTA / Part-Time Transit Store Agent
Culdesac / Community Manager
The Village of Arts and Humanities / Executive Director
Jewish Relief Agency /
Public Interest Law Center /
Center City District / Manager of Membership and Development
National Park Foundation / Mellon Humanities Postdoctoral Fellowship
USPS / Various positions
PHDC /
YIMBY Action / Development Manager
Philadelphia Energy Authority / Workforce Development Coordinator
Delaware Greenways / Trail Project Coordinator
Our Market Project / Project Manager; Social Media Manager
Pennsylvania Voice /
PA House Democratic Campaign Committee /
DVRPC / Senior Contracts Specialist
PhillyBOLT / Program Manager
Housing Initiative at Penn / Research Associate - Junior/Senior Housing Research Analyst
Campus Philly / Partnership Specialist
ACLU Pennsylvania /
City of Philadelphia /
BikePGH / Advocacy Manager
5th Square is Philadelphia's urbanist political action committee.
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