5th Square Advocacy is an urbanist organization of grassroots advocates building a coalition for better transportation, land use, and public space policies. Our work is made possible through the support of a growing network of sustaining members.
👋 INTRODUCING 5TH SQUARE ADVOCACY
We're excited and energized to share the launch of 5th Square Advocacy
as a non-partisan, non-profit advocacy organization in the urbanist movement in Philadelphia.
This is a new, separate organization from 5th Square PAC
which will focus on election-related activities while 5th Square Advocacy will be the new home for our issue advocacy and legislative efforts going forward.
Your 5th Square PAC membership will remain active, and PAC members can still participate in the PAC endorsement process. Should you have to choose which organization to support with your membership, we highly recommend choosing 5th Square Advocacy.
📚 TRANSIT ADVOCACY BOOK TALK
Join us and Transit Forward Philly next Thursday, 11/13, for a virtual book talk
with Carter Lavin, author of If You Want to Win, You’ve Got to Fight: A Guide to Effective Transportation Advocacy.
5th Square Advocacy will be presenting awards to a few members of our community for their outstanding contributions to Philadelphia’s urbanist movement. Please nominate
a friend or colleague who you think deserves an award for their work this year!
Nominations are due by Sunday, December 1st at 5pm.
We will be presenting the awards at our holiday party
on December 12th.
Join us
to celebrate with other Philadelphia built environment activists, neighborhood and community leaders, architects, planners, builders, and sustainability advocates at the urbanist holiday party of the season!
🕯️ WORLD DAY OF REMEMBRANCE
The Bicycle Coalition, Families for Safe Streets, and Vision Zero Philadelphia are hosting:
After years of waiting, the City is finally holding an engagement event for Spring Garden St -- spanning river to river. Attend this Streets Department Open House with us and let the city know you value safety for Spring Garden St!
PPA will be reopening and running the former Greyhound site which is slated to reopen next summer.
Our advocates have long been fighting for a safe and dignified home for our city's bus passengers so we applaud this move as a step in the right direction.
The new plan “represents an important investment in people, connection and dignity. For too long, bus riders — often traveling for work, family, or opportunity — have had to navigate their journeys without the basic comfort and safety that should define every public space,” said Alex Milone of 5th Square Advocacy, a 501c4 nonprofit affiliated with the 5th Square PAC.
Urbanist nonprofit 5th Square Advocacy praised the city's plan on Thursday, calling it an example of "people-centered urban design" that will make Philadelphia's transportation network more connected.
“Bringing intercity buses back to a proper terminal is a recognition that people deserve more than a curb under a highway overpass," said Alex Milone, 5th Square's transit committee co-chair. "They deserve shelter, dignity and respect.”
🚨 ACTION ITEMS
🚉 Support the Transit Access Fund
Transit Forward Philly is fighting for a Transit Access Fund to reduce financial barriers for low-income SEPTA riders. In addition to increasing ridership, the Transit Access Fund would help stabilize SEPTA's finances and protect riders from service cuts. Sign their petition here.
Cranksgiving November 8th, 10am registration, 11am start | Penn Treaty Park Cranksgiving is a bicycle-powered food drive where participants scour the city to purchase food from various “checkpoints” listed on a manifest. Folks can race to compete for prizes, take a leisurely ride towards the finish line, or just bring some donations to drop off at the end! All collected food will be donated to local hunger relief organizations.
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
Book Talk (Virtual) "If You Want to Win, You've Got to Fight" Thursday, November 13th at 6 PM | Virtual via Zoom Join 5th Square Advocacy and Transit Forward Philadelphia in this zoom book talk with Author Carter Lavin for a discussion of the transportation advocacy strategies in his new book.
November Transit Day of Action: Affordability Transit Town Hall Thursday, November 20th, 5:30pm-7:00pm | Friends Center, 1501 Cherry Street Join Councilmember Nicolas O’Rourke, Senator Nikil Saval, and Transit Forward Philadelphia for a discussion of city and state campaigns to make public transit in Philadelphia more affordable, reliable, and accessible, and how you can get involved.
5th Square Holiday Party + Annual Urbanist Awards Ceremony Friday, December 12th at 7 PM | Indy Hall, 709 N 2nd St Join 5th Square members and friends for our Holiday Party + Urbanist Awards Ceremony where we will be presenting awards to members of our community for their outstanding contributions to Philadelphia’s urbanist movement.
Do you like this newsletter and our advocacy work?
We need your support to sustain Philly's Urbanist Movement (and get cool perks) Join us as a member TODAY!
5th Square Advocacy is a grassroots nonprofit organization driven to advance a vision for a more accessible, sustainable, equitable Philadelphia for all residents.
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