🚨 ACTION ITEMS

34th Street Corridor Redesign Survey

The Philadelphia City Planning Commission is seeking community feedback to make traveling on 34th Street in Grays Ferry safer and more pleasant. If you're a Grays Ferry resident or frequently travel through the area, fill out this survey.

🚲 Parking-Protected Bike Lane Petition

Parking-protected bike lanes are a great way to make our bikes lanes safer and lower stress, but they are illegal in PA! The Bicycle Coalition is fighting for their legalization. Sign their petition to show your support for safer bike lanes!

🚫 Grays Ferry Is Not a Parking Lot

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is proposing a 1,000-vehicle parking garage at 30th and Grays Ferry Avenue. This garage would be over 70 feet tall, reserved for employees, and would require a separate shuttle service. Sign our petition telling CHOP: Don't Treat Grays Ferry as a Parking Lot

🛣️ 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, harming our access to the waterfront, and destroying sports facilities. To make matters worse, PennDOT has been deceitful about its engagement efforts.

Join us in telling PennDOT that highway expansion has no place in the core of Philadelphia by signing our petition.

EVENTS

2025 Northwest Schuylkill River Trails Summit
Saturday, September 27th at 9:30AM | Venice Island Performing Arts & Recreation Center, 7 Lock St
The Bicycle Coalition will be hosting an exploration of current and future trail projects in Northwest Philadelphia and Lower Merion Township. Following the presentations, there will be facilitated discussions covering maintenance, programming, and advocacy to increase expansion of the Circuit Trails network.

Week Without Driving Kickoff
September 29 at 5:30pm - 7pm | 1500 Walnut St
Transit Forward Philly will be hosting a kickoff event with more information about how you can participate in the nationwide week without driving.

September 5th Square Meetup
September 30, 2025 at 6:00pm – 8pm | Resurrection Philadelphia, 123 S 17th St
Join us in Center City for our September meetup where we will be welcoming Nick Anderson, Executive Director of the Parkway Council who will share updates on the current plans to redesign the Parkway.

Safer Streets -- A Billy Penn Town Hall
October 2, 5:30-7:00 p.m | Parkway Central Library, 1901 Vine St
Billy Penn will be exploring what's been done to make our streets safer for people walking and biking, and what else the city could do to make our streets a safe place for everyone.

Inaugural Montgomery and Bucks Counties Trail Summit
Saturday, Oct. 11, 10 a.m. to 12pm | Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust
The Circuit Trails, Bucks County Planning Commission, East Coast Greenway, Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Environmental Council, National Memorial Trail and Montgomery County Planning Commission are hosting the inaugural trail summit including presentations, networking opportunities, and field trips.

Philly Bike PoC Inaugural Ride
October 11th, 1pm | North Philly Peace Park
Join Philly Bike PoC on their inaugural ride at a social, no-drop pace ending at a Jamaican restaurant.

Overbuilt: Book Talk and Conversation with Erick Guerra
Monday, November 10 · 12 - 1pm | Meyerson Hall, 210 South 34th Street
Penn Institue for Urban Research will host the author of Overbuilt for a discussion exploring how outdated policies, flawed funding systems, and misguided metrics led to the overbuilding of the U.S. roadway network

WHAT WE'RE READING

🏙️ HOUSING & LAND USE

• WHYY / To ease Philly's housing crunch, Mayor Parker wants a tax exemption for developers building affordable rentals

• rand.org / Improving Utilization in the Housing Choice Voucher Program

• Inquirer.com / Many of Philadelphia’s office buildings are plummeting in value — and it’s costing the city millions

• Billy Penn at WHYY / Job growth is up in Philly, but many downtown offices remain vacant

🌳 PUBLIC SPACE

• Inquirer.com / Midtown Village cancels its fall festival after 20 years, citing rising costs

• everyoneiswelcome.substack.com / Our Cities are a Billboard for the Democratic Party

🚌 TRANSIT

• Inquirer.com / SEPTA got stop-gap relief but still needs a sustainable long-term solution | Opinion

• Bloomberg.com / Should We Let Public Transit Die?

🚲 MOBILITY

• Billy Penn at WHYY / Construction begins on new bike lane around City Hall

• Inquirer.com / Society Hill group approves $25,000 to fight bike lane protections on Spruce and Pine

• usa.streetsblog.org / How Trump's Latest Multimodal Clawbacks Are Different — And How They Could Devastate Communities

• Circuit Trails / Bridging the Gap: Why the Delaware River Turnpike Bridge Must Include a Trail Connection

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Old City District / Policy & Outreach Coordinator

SEPTA / Planning Project Manager

DVRPC / Procurement and Contracts Specialist

Committee of Seventy / Communications Director

Philadelphia Orchard Project / Executive Director

Feet First Philly / Public Space Mini-Grant (Apply by 10/1) | Info session recording

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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