ACTION
The November 5th election is just a month away, and at our next meet-up is on Thursday, October 10th, you'll have a chance to hear from the independent candidates running for City Council At-Large: Kendra Brooks and Nic O'Rourke from the Working Families Party and Independent candidate Joe Cox.
See you upstairs at Buffalo Billiards in Old City at 118 Chestnut St, from 6-8 pm. Guests are on a tight schedule and will begin speaking right at 6pm, so make sure to come a little early!
Join 5th Square as a Member TODAY and you can help us shape our endorsements for the general election HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. Membership costs as little as $5 a month and comes with the ability to vote in our endorsement process!
The walk-ability, bike-ability and sustainability of our city is at stake.
We need some friendly faces to attend these upcoming meetings.
On Wednesday, October 16th at City Hall there will be a public hearing for Councilmember Jannie Blackwell's last-ditch attempt to cement the car culture of the past in Philadelphia's zoning code. Tell City Council to vote NO on Bill No. 160710, which would greatly increase minimum parking requirements—a hidden tax on people who don't drive that subsidizes car owners.
Then, on Tuesday, November 12th, the Zoning Board of Adjustment will have their rescheduled hearing on developer Bart Blatstein's latest attempt to ruin the Delaware River Waterfront with a huge suburban-style gas station / convenience store.
EVENTS
Saturday, October 5th, 10 am - 2 pm
Bio Blitz: South Philadelphia Wetlands Park
To kick off the design of an ecologically-focused “Wetland Park” from Pier 70 to Pier 64, the team is looking to crowd-source the identification of as many plant and animal species as possible.
Monday, October 7th, 6 - 7 pm
Modern Mobility
How will the future design of Philadelphia affect how we live and commute within the city? Modern Mobility is a panel convening industry leaders within the space to explore how the future of design will affect our city.
Tuesday, October 8th, 12 - 1:30 pm
From Congestion Tolls to Fuel Standards: Car Policies that Work
With urban populations growing and more vehicles in use, cities face increased air pollution and congestion. This problem is more severe in developing economies with aging fleets. The key is to target the existing fleet. Join economist Juan-Pablo Montero for this lunchtime lecture.
Thursday, October 10th, 6:30 - 8 pm
Pizza and Policy: Meet and Greet with Dem. Whip Jordan Harris
Join PennEnvironment and State Representative Jordan Harris on Thursday, October 10th from 6:30-8pm for their “Pizza and Policy” meet and greet.
Thursday, October 17th, 8 - 10 am
On The Table Philly: Safe Streets, Seven Days a Week
Can We Solve Philadelphia's 'Bicycling During Worship Services Parking' Dilemma in Center City? Join the Bicycle Coalition as they discuss the issue of cars parking in bike lanes on Spruce and Pine Streets during worship services.
NEWS
The City of Philadelphia just released a two-year progress report on its Vision Zero commitment to cut traffic deaths to 0 in ten years. However, the number of people being killed in crashes is on the rise.
Philly's problem of tens of thousands of vacant properties costs us billions in lost property values. There are fixes to our currently-broken process for selling these properties.
A recently-unveiled plan for the Navy Yard includes space for commercial, millions more square feet of labs and offices, and — for the first time — an around-the-clock residential population.
People will die on our dangerous streets because of legislative inaction by the PA State Senate. Click through to learn about an important stalled bill in the state legislature that's being held up by a Philadelphia Democrat, Senator John Sabatina of Northeast Philly. The legislation would legalize parking-protected protected bicycle lanes and unlock new safer bike lanes all over the city.
Shockingly, Pennsylvania does not require driver's education in order to get a license to operate a dangerous automobile. This is despite studies that show that formal training reduces deaths and injuries.
The City of Portland, Oregon recently looked at the impacts of banning car-free homes on housing affordability. Removing minimum parking requirements resulted in lower cost homes and more housing overall, while required parking led to fewer, more expensive homes at almost triple the cost.
RCO OPPORTUNITIES
Fitler Square Neighborhood Association is seeking Board Members.
Queen Village Neighbors Association is seeking Board of Directors candidates for 2020-2021.
GRANTS / PROJECT OPPORTUNITIES
The Equitable Public Space Fund will award 2-year grants of $10,000 to $25,000 per year to groups that use community organizing to promote equitable public space in Philadelphia and Camden.
The Office of Arts, Culture and The Creative Economy (OACCE) Culture in Neighborhoods program transforms Philadelphia’s public indoor spaces into neighborhood hubs of creativity. Proposals will be accepted until January 3, 2020 for events that will take place between August 2019 – February 2020.
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
Streetsblog USA, the nation’s essential transit-, cycling- and pedestrian-advocacy news site, needs a hard-working reporter to cover the full range of transportation (and transportation-adjacent) issues: urban planning, transportation equity, housing, zoning, design, public space, inequitable law enforcement, climate change, the politics of our nation’s failure to fund transit, and the future of sustainable logistics.
SEPTA is looking for a Program & Fare Policy Analyst and a Project Management Specialist-Signage for their offices in Center City Philadelphia.
Philadelphia Parks & Recreation (PPR) is seeking a FDR Park Executive Director
The Philadelphia Water Department's Public Engagement Team is seeking a Project Coordinator/Outreach Specialist that will manage the Philly Water Bar, an initiative created to bust myths about the quality of tap water in Philadelphia by highlighting the City’s high-quality tap water as sustainable, affordable, safe and healthy.
The Pennsylvania Economy League – Central Division (PEL), is seeking a well-qualified, seasoned professional to serve as the organization’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
The North Broad Renaissance is seeking an Office Manager
University of Pennsylvania: School of Design: Weitzman School of Design - City and Regional Planning is seeking a Professor of Practice
The Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation (PHDC), a non-profit organization funded primarily by the City of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is looking for a Housing Development Officer to join it's Community Investment Group, a Senior Development Specialist to join it's Land Management team, and a Public Art Intern.
The City of Philadelphia's Office of the Chief Administrative Officer is seeking Service Designers
Philadelphia Area Cooperative Alliance is seeking a Co-op Business Developer
Rebuild is seeking a Community Engagement Coordinator
The City of Philadelphia's Department of Commerce is seeking a Digital Communications Manager
Fair Share Housing Center, Inc. (FSHC) seeks a full-time Director of Racial Justice Policy and a full-time Housing Access Organizer
Tiny WPA seeks a strong designer with considerable analog and digital fabrication experience to help grow its participatory design and fabrication capacity.
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. Support our advocacy with a recurring monthly contribution of $5.