🤝 MEETUP THIS THURSDAY
This Thursday, June 20th at 6pm, join 5th Square organizers and volunteers for an informal, in-person meet-up over at the PHS Pop Up Garden at Manayunk!
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 Northwest Philly neighborhoods.
- Tarik Khan, State Representative, 194th House District
- Wendy Green-Harvey, Manager, Local and Community Affairs, SEPTA
- Alon Levy, Research Scholar at the NYU Marron Institute
Want to see more events like this where you can meet other urbanists? Become a 5th Square member for as little as $5 per month.
🛣️ SAVING LIVES ON BROAD STREET
Broad Street is one of our city's most dangerous streets. In 2023, it was tied with Roosevelt Blvd for the city's deadliest road, both having taken 11 lives each. The tragically high death toll makes it clear that a change is needed on Broad Street.
Fortunately City Council unanimously voted to approve implementing speed cameras on Broad Street, a tool which has been shown to be enormously effective along Roosevelt Blvd where it saved an estimated 36 lives.
🕰️ CENTER CITY HISTORIC DISTRICT DELAYED
The Philadelphia Historical Commission was expected to vote to approve the proposed historic district for Washington Square West at their meeting last Friday. However, due to a lack of quorum, the commissioners were unable to vote and consideration of the matter was postponed to their July 12th meeting which means we will have another month to fight this historic district.
As a reminder, 5th Square opposes the proposed historic district because it would restrict the creation of new housing, raise home maintenance costs, preserve vacant lots as "contributing properties", and ultimately raise rents and home prices. We instead support individually designating historic properties which will allow for preservation in a more balanced way without raising housing costs.
Read more in The Inquirer:
These are some of the "historic" parking lots (denoted as "contributing properties") that would be "preserved" under this proposal
To get involved, sign our petition, and comment at the Philadelphia Historical Commission meeting on Friday, July 12th at 9am over Zoom.
⏳ TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR TRANSIT FUNDING
SEPTA is facing an urgent fiscal cliff which would mean major service cuts and fare increases. Fortunately, Governor Shapiro has proposed increasing the share of the state budget that goes towards transit funding which would allocate $283 million to transit agencies throughout PA, but time is running out to make this happen.
Transit for All PA is calling on advocates to remind our legislators in this FINAL MONTH of budget season to pass a budget that prioritizes the $282 million dollar service increase without raising taxes.
🚘 I-95 WIDENING UPDATE
In case you haven't heard, PennDOT is planning to widen I-95 in Center City and South Philly.
After conducting a survey, PennDOT just released a slideshow from their June 2024 CSP Planning Study Meeting.
PennDOT has concluded that survey respondents want the “high concept” build option for the Penn’s Landing and Walt Whitman Bridge Interchanges, despite a significant portion of respondents selecting "None" for the presented concepts, indicating dissatisfaction with all of the proposals.
We anticipate upcoming engagement meetings and future actions and will share with you as soon as we hear more. In the meantime, please sign and share our petition opposing this expansion of I-95.
🚨 ACTION ITEMS
🚴♀️ Support Circuit Trails
The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) is opening its public comment period for the 2025 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for Pennsylvania.
The Bicycle Coalition is asking for comments in support of funding for trails which provide important transportation routes and space for recreation. See here for instructions on providing public comment.
🚲 Fishtown and Strawberry Mansion Neighborhood Bikeways Survey
OTIS is soliciting feedback on their project to identify several neighborhood streets for bikeways in Fishtown and Strawberry Mansion. Read more and fill out their surveys:
✍️ Historic District Petitions
5th Square opposes the proposed historic districts in Washington Square West and Spruce Hill because we believe they will raise rents by restricting the development of new housing as well as increase costs for existing homeowners by making home repairs more complicated, expensive, and time-intensive. We are instead calling to preserve historically significant buildings with individual historic designations. Learn more and sign the petitions:
Several parking lots in Washington Square West that would be protected as "contributing" properties by the proposed historic district
🛣️ Stop I-95 Expansion
PennDOT is planning to expand I-95 in Center City and South Philly by adding lanes and new ramps. This will threaten the well-being of our neighborhoods by worsening air quality, increasing noise pollution, and harming our access to the waterfront.
Join us in telling PennDOT that highway expansion has no place in the core of Philadelphia by signing our petition.
EVENTS
June 5th Square Meetup
June 20, 2024 at 6:00pm – 8pm | Manayunk PHS Pop Up Garden, 106 Jamestown Ave
Join 5th Square organizers and volunteers for an informal, in-person meet-up over at the PHS Pop Up Garden at Manayunk for an outdoor, family-friendly event. We will be discussing mobility, safe streets, and access to transit specific to Northwest Philly neighborhoods.
Philadelphia Historical Commission - Washington Square West Historic District
July 12th, 9am | Virtual via Zoom
5th Square believes the proposed historic district for Washington Square West will harm residents of the neighborhood and the city by increasing housing costs. During this meeting, the Philadelphia Historical Commission will be reviewing the proposed district and there will be an opportunity for public comment.
League of American Bicyclists - Cycling Advocate Workshop
July 24 · 5pm - July 26 · 3pm | Venue TBA
The workshop will cover advocacy basics such as the history of bike advocacy, how to get organized, effective political engagement, making the case, coalition building, policy basics, funding, storytelling, equity and mobility justice, and more.
WHAT WE'RE READING
🏙️ HOUSING & LAND USE
🌳 PUBLIC SPACE
🚌 TRANSIT
🚴 MOBILITY
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
Philadelphia Housing Development Corp.
- Director, Multi-Family Development Finance
- Rehabilitation Housing Inspector III
- Risk and Insurance Manager
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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