We've been following the drama over state representative/convicted felon Leslie Acosta's inevitable replacement the last few months, and now Max Marin shares a juicy update on the wrangling to replace Acosta in the 197th District. Continue reading

(Photo credit: PlanPhilly) After years of waiting and frustrating delays, SEPTA riders are finally getting a modern card payment system. Not only will we be able to use credit cards to pay for transit rides, and automatically refill our passes online, the payment system will introduce the city to a brand new technology--a technology that could combine with policy changes to drastically increase transit ridership, and meaningfully change the way Philadelphia residents and visitors get around our city. Continue reading

In which Blondell Reynolds Brown, Al Taubenberger, and Mark Squilla propose a new fee to fund the Historical Commission; David Oh proposes repaying teachers who spend their own money on classroom supplies; Darrell Clarke and Maria Quiñones-Sánchez put some land in the Land Bank; and several Councilmembers call for a hearing on turning Philadelphia into a "zero waste" city. Continue reading

One of the running debates people are having in the wake of the 2016 elections is to what degree third-party candidates played a "spoiler" role to Hillary Clinton by siphoning off the votes of people who almost certainly would've preferred Clinton--not Donald Trump--as a second-best alternative to Green Party candidate Jill Stein. Continue reading

The election of Donald Trump has been a huge boon for interest in local politics in Philadelphia, and we're seeing that firsthand. Over 300 people have signed up to run for local ward committee seats on our page, and we sold out all 100 tickets for our workshop on winning local ward elections in just two days. (We've since set up a second workshop to accommodate all the interest.) Philadelphia 3.0 Executive Director Ali Perelman talked with Liz Spikol at the Jewish Exponent about what she thinks is happening:  Continue reading

In which Bill Greenlee proposes some fixes to city towing regulations; Councilmembers deposit some land into the Land Bank and exempt publicly-owned properties from stormwater fees; Allan Domb, Bill Greenlee, and Darrell Clarke propose some basic tracking of tax incentives; and David Oh proposes clarifying the protocol for parking by broken parking meters. Continue reading

(RCO map | Philadelphia City Planning Commission) Most new Special Day proclamations are a waste of time, but one local holiday proclamation that could make a real difference in local politics is RCO Election Day. Continue reading

The 2016 Election results have stirred up a lot of restless political energy in Philadelphia, and we've been encouraging people to put that to positive use by signing up to run for local ward committee seats.  Continue reading

This Monday, Philadelphia 3.0 hosted a policy discussion at Pipeline Philly about what the City's Department of Licenses and Inspections is doing to modernize their operations, and why this matters for the city's real estate economy. Continue reading

(Photo: AL DIA) The first phase of the Philadelphia Housing Authority's blockbuster urban renewal project in Sharswood is complete, reports Julia Terruso, but officials are worried that a Trump administration's changing priorities could make it unviable to finish the project. Continue reading