🚶 SLOW ZONE APPLICATION EXTENSION

The Neighborhood Slow Zone application deadline has been extended to February 15th. The Slow Zone Project offers residents the opportunity to work with the City to reduce vehicle speeds and improve visibility on neighborhood streets. 

There are lots of ways to slow traffic like corner clearances, raised crosswalks, traffic diverters, and more. The City will work with you and your neighborhood to determine the best way to slow things down. You can fill out the application form and get more information on the Neighborhood Slow Zone Program site.

There's only a handful of active Slow Zone sites, so we highly encourage you or someone you know to apply. If you have any questions or want help with the application process, contact Pete DeCarolis at [email protected].

The state has released a seemingly innocuous yet meaty transportation survey that is part of the 12-Year Transportation Program update. This is your chance to state all of your grievances... yes, all. As much as you can possibly can. The survey starts out with basic questions like how do you travel or what projects would you prioritize. Once you get past that, you get a map and it asks you to put a pin somewhere and categorize your issue.

The process is a little tricky at first. After you input a location, you'll want to scroll into the specific spot that you want to give feedback about. You'll then see an icon of a pin that says "click pin to add" next to it. Click on that, then on the spot you want to give feedback on. Make sure to pick the correct category and give as much detail as you can. You can upload images, too, in case you have pictures of something very specific.

You can even decide on a budget (and add possible budget items too)!

It's a weirdly fun survey and a great way to set the agenda for the new administration. If you're having trouble thinking of issues to post, you can browse our issues page for ideas. You could even put a pin on a spot where you think intercity rail should go...

EVENTS

Observed-New Urban Realism by Six Philadelphia-Area Artists

Sunday, January 8 until Thursday, January 26
The Plastic Club 247 South Camac St.

This exhibit by 6 area artists taking an unflinching, honest view on the urban fabric of Philadelphia. The artists are Mick Ricereto, Erik Weedeman, Jake Weiss, Sophie White, Chris Windle, and Nasir Young. These six artists share a drive to document our city as we see it.

Frank Furness: Seven Ideas about Architecture

Wednesday, January 18th at 10am (via Zoom)

Frank Furness has a well-deserved reputation as a rogue architect; a Civil War cavalry hero who despised conformity and convention, he gave Victorian America some of its most imaginative buildings. With previously unpublished documents and images, this talk suggests that Furness was also a profound thinker about the meaning of architecture. Register here.

Rooted in Research: Greening Cities for Health, Safety, and Well-Being

Friday, January 20th at 12:00 PM (via Zoom)

Hosted by PHS, Penn IUR, and Analytics at Wharton, Rooted in Research will discuss how green interventions can improve communities. The webinar will also highlight how researchers partnered with on-the-ground greening efforts in Philadelphia’s neighborhoods to produce this research. Register here.

SEPTA Forward Bus Revolution - Transit Talk: Draft Network Engagement Findings

Monday, January 23rd at 6:30 PM (via Zoom)

During Fall 2022, SEPTA released its Draft Bus Network, and received thousands of comments across more than 30 public engagement events. Join us for a recap of the Fall 2022 engagement process, key findings and takeaways, and what to expect for the next phase of the project—the release of the final bus network recommendations planned for spring 2023.

Webinar Wednesday: Pennsylvania’s Infrastructure Report Card

Wednesday, February 1 from 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm (via Zoom)

The four Sections of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in Pennsylvania (Central PA, Lehigh Valley, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh) combine forces and efforts every four years to perform an assessment of current infrastructure conditions throughout the Commonwealth. Criteria such as capacity, condition, funding, future need, operations and maintenance, public safety, and resilience and innovation are evaluated, with a letter grade assigned to each of the fifteen categories. Grades are compared to those provided in the previous Report Card (2018) to show progress or where efforts may have slipped. Deadline to register is January 31.

Making Reparations: How can we come together to preserve history and ensure that every Philadelphian has a home?

Thursday, February 2nd at 10am (via Zoom)

For the first time in more than two decades, there are more renovation projects in the US than new builds. Philadelphia has already been leading the way in this increase of adaptive reuse, and now, the city will have even more tools to do so with the recent passage of the statewide Whole Homes Repair Act, which provides unprecedented opportunities to save historic buildings and help low-income homeowners hold onto their properties. This program will explore the intersections of craft labor, historic preservation, and housing justice to discover how we can both preserve our city’s legacy of expert craftsmanship and attain housing for all.