Are you doing something to help revitalize a commercial corridor in your town or neighborhood and make it more liveable? Would you like to receive recognition for it and a chance to present your work at a public forum in February? If so, take a moment to enter Next City's Commercial Corridors contest. They are … Continue reading Submit a proposal to be featured in Next City’s Commercial Corridors forum!
Why “pop-up” placemaking may be a misnomer
Marcus Westbury, Australian urbanist and founder of the nonprofit "Renew Newcastle," believes that the terminology often used for small-scale projects meant to revitalize urban places and kick start development can be misleading. Phrases such as "pop-up parks" and "tactical urbanism" suggest temporary fixes to persistent problems, which misses the bigger point that the methods used … Continue reading Why “pop-up” placemaking may be a misnomer
Feet First Philly in the news!
Feet First Philly's projects have been getting some media attention! Read about the walkable alleys of Philadelphia at Walk Score, and see PlanPhilly's Eyes on the Street blog for a feature about our recent sidewalk photo contest.
Photo contest winners announced!
Feet First Philly's "Where's my effin' sidewalk?" photo contest has come to an end, and the winners have been chosen! Below are the photos that won 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. The photos were judged based on the strength of the statement they made about sidewalk encroachments--things that get in the way of pedestrians' regular … Continue reading Photo contest winners announced!
Discover Philadelphia’s historic alley streets; Walk Score hosts local holiday shopping giveaway
Discover Philadelphia's historic alley streets Philadelphia has a rich history that dates back to the 17th century, which is quite a long time long before cars ruled the road. Many of the city's earlier streets were designed not only for horses and carriages, but for people as well. To this day, more than a few … Continue reading Discover Philadelphia’s historic alley streets; Walk Score hosts local holiday shopping giveaway
TONIGHT! Feet First Philly’s November Meeting
Tonight (Monday, November 19th at 6 pm): Come one, come all to FFP's November meeting! We've got lots of updates for you on projects such as intersection surveying and our photo contest (which is still open to submissions; send photos of sidewalk encroachments to walkability@cleanair.org)! For more information, check out the facebook event.
Article: New pedestrian ramp for the Ben Franklin Bridge!
Thanks to the Bicycle Coalition, the Ben Franklin Bridge will receive a new ADA accessible pedestrian and bicycle ramp to replace the steep, narrow stairs on the Camden side, making the bridge easier for both pedestrians and cyclists to use. http://planphilly.com/new-bicycle-pedestrian-ramp-coming-ben-franklin-bridge-camden
Article: Designing good cities for walking
Streetsblog.org has posted excerpts from acclaimed Danish Architect Jan Gehl's book "Cities for People." When it comes to designing a good public space for people to linger in or walk through, Jan Gehl has it practically down to a science. For instance, he says that 1,640 feet is the distance most pedestrians find to be an … Continue reading Article: Designing good cities for walking
Earn money by helping out Feet First Philly!
One of Feet First Philly's principal initiatives is to make sure that traffic signals allow pedestrians sufficient time to cross the street. We are currently conducting field surveys to assess current signal timing and other characteristics at certain intersections. The information gathered will be shared with the city of Philadelphia to ensure that all signals … Continue reading Earn money by helping out Feet First Philly!
Park(ing) Day creates more space for people
Philadelphia has lots of great public spaces, but for today only, a few more have popped up. It's Park(ing) Day, where citizens and organizations transform ordinary street parking spots into public spaces! Park(ing) Day is a worldwide event held on the third Friday in September. This year, activists, artists, and others have created 59 temporary … Continue reading Park(ing) Day creates more space for people
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