ACTION
5th Square's mission is to achieve a more accessible, sustainable, and equitable Philadelphia for all residents through better mobility, public space, and built environment policies. The upcoming 2019 City Council election can be a watershed moment to make this mission a political reality.
The best, easiest way to help make it happen is by becoming a subscribing member. The more members we can recruit over the next 4 months, the stronger our voice will be in this crucial race for the future of the city.
Look for our first round of early endorsements to come out soon with a very exciting slate of candidates. Become a member by March 1st to have a vote on the next round of City Council endorsements, and to get involved in our elections work to help make the most of the opportunities in this election.
Memberships start at just $5 a month, and we're pleased to share we recently surpassed 100 monthly members supporting the organization! For the price of two SEPTA bus trips per month, you can help elect a better City Council in 2019.
EVENTS
Saturday, February 16th, 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Free Library - Philadelphia: The Changing City Community Day
Join your neighbors at Parkway Central Library for an afternoon of adult-focused programs, as well as activities for children, while connecting with our vibrant city's past, present, and future in novel ways. This event is inspired by the Free Library's newest exhibition, PHILADELPHIA: THE CHANGING CITY. Images of the city drawn from 300 years of prints, photographs, documents, and maps reveal the planned and unplanned changes that have affected Philadelphia's landscape, its buildings, and its inhabitants.
Wednesday, February 20, 7:30 pm
GRASP - 2nd District City Council: Q&A and Meet-and-Greet
Hosted by Grassroots Advocacy for South Philadelphia, the first 2nd District Council forum is scheduled for 2/20 at Guerin Rec Center, featuring Democrats Kenyatta Johnson and Lauren Vidas.
LATER THIS MONTH
Mondays and Wednesdays, March 4 – April 3, 6 pm - 8 pm
Preservation Alliance: Building Philadelphia Speaker Series
The Preservation Alliance presents a 10-part series with local architects, urban planners, archaeologists, and historians exploring the political, economic, and design trends that drove Philadelphia’s development. Topics include major urban planning projects such as the Ben Franklin Parkway and Society Hill, Philadelphia's varied architectural styles, and immigrant history.
Saturday, March 30, 9 am - 5:30 pm
TransportationCamp PHL 2019
Organized by Young Professionals in Transportation, Women’s Transportation Seminar, and Drexel University, TransportationCamp is a day filled with ideas at the intersection of transportation, technology, and urbanism. The participant-driven conference series follows the “unconference” format, lending itself to a more pertinent, thought-provoking, and active event.
NEWS
Inga Saffron, in an excellent article for the Inquirer, looks at Philadelphia's current mid-block crosswalks, its growing inclusion in recent commercial developments, and cites 5th Square's advocacy efforts for more of these crossings in Fishtown and University City. We applaud these efforts to give priority to and an provide some safety to pedestrians as they navigate our treacherous city streets, and believe the City's Streets Department can do a better job in thinking about pedestrians in its road design.
5th Square's very own Aaron Bauman penned a piece for the Inquirer looking at Philly's self-designated "High Injury Network" of streets and its weakest link: PennDOT streets. In our examination of the High Injury Network, we have found that users are six times more likely to be killed or severely injured on a PennDOT street! In order for us to truly achieve Vision Zero, we need Governor Wolf, PennDot Secretary Leslie Richards, and state legislators to do their part and lead in fundamentally redefining our road priorities.
Also on the street safety front, NBC10 Philadelphia came out with a shocking examination of our city's epidemic of hit-and-runs, and has shown police respond to these incidents nearly 40 times a day! The sheer number of hit-and-run incidents have been overwhelming the resources of police department investigators and have stunted their ability to track down suspects. The most vulnerable population to these crimes are pedestrians and bicyclists who have recently seen an uptick in traffic fatalities in 2018.
PlanPhilly writes about 3rd District Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell's role in stalling a major city development at 4601 Market Street to help developer Michael Karp, a charter school owner and campaign contributor to Blackwell. The former Provident Mutual Life Insurance building is slated to become a health campus and has broad support of most of the interest groups in her district and of local neighborhood organizations. Blackwell has held her West Philadelphia Council seat for decades, but this year she faces a primary challenge from Jamie Gauthier.
OPPORTUNITIES
The City's Office of Transportation, Infrastructure, & Sustainability (OTIS) runs the Philly Free Streets initiative and put out an RFP for businesses to help expand the program.
Philadelphia's Parks and Recreation is seeking a community engagement manager
University City Science Center is hiring a Development Manager
Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission is seeking Planner/Research Analyst, Transportation Planner for Freight and Aviation Programs, and a Traffic Counting Technician.
PA State Senator Art Haywood, based in Mt. Airy and Abington, is seeking a District Represenative
NV5 consultants is seeking an Active Transportation Civil Engineer
The Pew Charitable Trusts is hiring a Coordinator for its Philadelphia Program
WHYY's PlanPhilly is looking to hire a reporter providing daily coverage of Philadelphia's planning and development news
The City of Philadelphia opened its application period for Recreation Leader Trainee
The J.M.K. Innovation Prize seeks non-profit and mission-driven for-profit organizations who are spearheading early-stage projects in the fields of the environment, heritage conservation, and social justice. In 2019, J.M.K. will award up to ten Prizes, each including a cash award of $150,000 over three years, plus $25,000 for project expenses, for a total award of $175,000.
CityWide Stories is seeking writers, photographers, and a social media coordinator (part time).
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.