Pass the BIRT fix

Pass the BIRT fix

@bradwilhelm.bsky.social

Philadelphian - attorney - dog dad - LIFT Coalition co-founder - advocate for our smallest businesses - griller of meats - past PSCA board member and PhillyforBernie organizer Views expressed are mine alone and do not represent anything about my employer

282 followers179 following378 posts

Pass the BIRT fix
@bradwilhelm.bsky.social

We have the same number of jobs as Boston in spite of having over a million more people

rohan aras@rohanaras.bsky.social

I was curious what this might look like if we accounted for other dense job nodes that aren't exactly downtown, so I charted the job densities experienced by jobs. The usual suspects rise to the top, but Chicago does still stand out for having the loop, job sprawl, and not much in between.

Pass the BIRT fix
@bradwilhelm.bsky.social

Center city has so much potential as a place where people can live the urbanist dream because it has so many great places to live but our reliance on the suburbs for almost half (!!!) of city resident employment is a real problem

Matt da Silva@mdasilva.bsky.social

Some interesting observations here: Nashville and Austin both have job geographies that look more coastal than Sun Belt, suggesting investment in public transit there would be very successful. Chicago and Philly, despite strong downtowns, suffer from inner ring decay. Dallas is The Bad Place.

Pass the BIRT fix reposted

peter k
@peterskim.org

It’s tragic that there’s so much car traffic in my neighborhood between 8-9am. I live just 1 mile from the heart of Center City so many of these drivers are probably commuting to jobs in the suburbs. It doesn’t have to be this way. BIRT is largely to blame. Bring jobs back to the city.

Pass the BIRT fix
@bradwilhelm.bsky.social

We have the highest city biz taxes in the nation and that inhibits progress on every single urbanist priority

peter k@peterskim.org

Until we reform BIRT and the wage tax, it’s going to be hard to argue that people who’d move into new apartments buildings wouldn’t need a car to get to their job in Malvern or Conshy.

Pass the BIRT fix
@bradwilhelm.bsky.social

The small businesses that succeed in this city do so in spite of the highest city business taxes in the country and leadership that prioritizes maintaining the existing system of clout and patronage over making Philly a better place to live and work www.inquirer.com/food/restaur...

inquirer.comSancho Pistola’s closes in Fishtown, less than two months after Jose Pistola’s shut downThe owners say lingering pandemic debt and an approaching lease decision led them to close the 12-year-old Mexican bar. Their third restaurant, Pistola’s Del Sur, remains open.
Pass the BIRT fix
@bradwilhelm.bsky.social

I know many people are tired of me pointing this out but this is yet another example of how we’re going to be dealing with covid aftershocks for wayyyy longer than the blueskyverse wants to admit

Pass the BIRT fix reposted

Stephanie Farr
@farfarraway.bsky.social

To be clear, I think most of us are pretty good drivers b/c we need profound situational awareness to avoid all of the jabronis pulling jerkface moves. Driving in Philly is 10% watching what you’re doing & 90% trying to guess what unhinged drivers near you will do. www.inquirer.com/life/philly-...

inquirer.comThe 8 worst habits of bad Philly drivers (an incomplete list)This report is based not on data, but on first-hand visceral experiences with absolutely unhinged Philly motorists.
Pass the BIRT fix
@bradwilhelm.bsky.social

This is what’s wrong with Philly politics in a single bluey. Clout is the currency of the realm and that makes life harder for all but the politically-connected

Sic Transit PHL@sictransitphl.bsky.social

Our streets crumble to moonscapes before surprise repaving, our trash piles up in the streets, and our recycling system is a sick joke. But any Council office could always get him on the phone to send a crew to clean up a short-dumped lot, so in their eyes he was perfect. 🤢

Pass the BIRT fix reposted

Jake Blumgart
@jblumgart.bsky.social

Great reporting on the political incentives that prevent Philly City Council from abolishing an office that so many outside observers have advocated eliminating www.inquirer.com/politics/phi...

inquirer.comPhilly City Council is reluctant to abolish the sheriff’s office, even after a $20 million scandalWhile Council members expressed dismay over the recently located $20 million, none clearly stated they were in favor of eliminating the sheriff’s office.

Pass the BIRT fix reposted

Paul Spencer
@suchprotech.com

Replying to @farfarraway.bsky.social

There's nothing quite like hitting Kelly Drive for the first time. It's like you're plopped down into a Mario Kart track in a beautiful gorge but you're fighting for your life trying to survive as everyone goes twice the speed limit.

Pass the BIRT fix reposted

Ben S
@bensh3.bsky.social

Replying to @phillyjoed.bsky.social

Win after win for 30th Street, at the expense of everyone east of like 21st St. The only hope is extending KOZ there and really improving SEPTA RR & L to improve transfers along Market

Pass the BIRT fix reposted

Ben S
@bensh3.bsky.social

"CEO moving company to Philly from suburbs because he has to commute from NYC" is unusual but actually makes a ton of sense. Obligatory: KOZ helps too

Philadelphia Business Journal@philadelphia.bizjournals.com

A fast-growing home equity lender will consolidate its offices in Conshohocken and South Jersey, moving 250 employees to University City.

bit.lyGrowing PE-backed firm leases full floor at Cira CentreA fast-growing home equity lender will consolidate its offices in Conshohocken and South Jersey, moving 250 employees to University City.

Pass the BIRT fix reposted

Ben S
@bensh3.bsky.social

Merely having the design available to replicate is a weak gesture--at minimum the City should offer to split the cost of a crashworthy streetery 50-50 with the restaurant

Billy Penn at WHYY@billy-penn.bsky.social

Philly spent $120K for two model streeteries in LOVE Park. Now it wants your feedback on them.

billypenn.comPhiladelphia tests new outdoor dining designs at LOVE ParkPhilly is testing two new streetery prototypes at LOVE Park before making the designs free for restaurants to use.
Pass the BIRT fix
@bradwilhelm.bsky.social

This is up there with the DA complaining to a reporter about undelivered campaign contributions for craziest story of the year

Philadelphia Inquirer@inquirer.com

The School District of Philadelphia has been scrambling to track down thousands of students. Several Philly principals told The Inquirer that the efforts went even further: the district re-added students who had moved out of the country or never showed up at all to their rosters.

inquirer.comStudents who moved out of the country were put back on Philly schools’ rolls
Pass the BIRT fix
@bradwilhelm.bsky.social

“‘Let me be very clear — this isn't about cooking the books, this isn't about padding enrollment. This is about, we're going to do our due diligence because it's the rules,' the superintendent said.” www.inquirer.com/education/ph...

inquirer.comSuperintendent Watlington explains why he reenrolled 720 students who haven’t been to school this year“Let me be very clear — this isn’t about cooking the books, this isn’t about padding enrollment. This is about, we’re going to do our due diligence because it's the rules," the superintendent said.

Pass the BIRT fix reposted

Sic Transit PHL
@sictransitphl.bsky.social

In a civilized society, this driver would have charges filed against them and their license suspended as a matter of course. We, on the other hand, must live in the umbra of the Philadelphia Police Department.

Peter Flax@pflax1.bsky.social

"A parent participating in a bike-to-school event in Philadelphia's Queen Village neighborhood was struck by a vehicle Wednesday morning." "I heard a car honking behind me and revving and before I knew it there was a jeep that had run me over.....I was on the ground" 6abc.com/post/parent-...

6abc.comParent hit by car during National Walk and Roll to School Day in South PhiladelphiaNational Walk and Roll to school day took a scary turn in South Philadelphia Wednesday morning when a man was hit by a car.

Pass the BIRT fix reposted

Ben S
@bensh3.bsky.social

maybe consider expansion to the booming region of Center City, Philadelphia. Just saying

Philadelphia Business Journal@philadelphia.bizjournals.com

SEI's next phase of expansion is expected to greatly impact the firm's Oaks headquarters, home to about 3,200 of its 5,000 employees.

bit.lySEI looks to double revenue with expansion plansSEI's next phase of expansion is expected to greatly impact the firm's Oaks headquarters, home to about 3,200 of its 5,000 employees.

Pass the BIRT fix reposted

Joey Politano🏳️‍🌈
@josephpolitano.bsky.social

Sort of insane fact about how broken US urban planning is—America now spends more building *just the lights for roads and highways* than on all subways & ground mass transit combined Spending on roadway *pavement* is 18x transit spending

Pass the BIRT fix reposted

Ben S
@bensh3.bsky.social

Bilal and the Sheriff's office is the prime example of the political elite all going "yeah this sucks, so shameful haha", no one doing anything meaningful about it, and thus affecting zero people's political careers

Philadelphia Inquirer@inquirer.com

Under oath, Rochelle Bilal acknowledged that her office hadn't met its obligations until recently. She blamed staffers and technology. The office is now fighting a judge over outside supervision.

inquirer.comPhilly sheriff’s office reneges on court-supervision deal, tells judge it found $20 million in city money
Pass the BIRT fix
@bradwilhelm.bsky.social

~Philadelphia exceptionalism intensifies~ "At full capacity, the manufacturing plant will be able to pump out about 3,000 cans per minute and 5 billion cans a year, making it the largest beverage manufacturing facility in the world, DrinkPak CEO said Tuesday" www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia...

bizjournals.comDrinkPak investing $350M to make Bellwether beverage manufacturing site the world's largest - Philadelphia Business JournalDrinkPak has already discussed the possibility of leasing more space in South Philadelphia as its plans for the city's biggest industrial building keep getting bigger.
Pass the BIRT fix
@bradwilhelm.bsky.social

More Jobs = More Housing Thank you for coming to my TED talk

Philadelphia Business Journal@philadelphia.bizjournals.com

The project are near the Bellwether District and Navy Yard, two developments expected to add thousands of jobs in the coming years.

bit.lyDevelopers propose 262 townhomes across 2 South Philadelphia projectsThe project are near the Bellwether District and Navy Yard, two developments expected to add thousands of jobs in the coming years.

Pass the BIRT fix reposted

jamelle
@jamellebouie.net

Replying to @jamellebouie.net

plenty of people would try their hands at interesting little businesses if it they did not need to generate a huge profit at the outset and i think this is something governments should encourage. (and lots of little businesses makes a place more livable!)

Pass the BIRT fix reposted

5th Square Advocacy
@5thsqadvocacy.org

Yesterday, a woman wearing scrubs was hit while biking eastbound on the South Street Bridge. This is the most biked bridge in all of PA. On any given day, an order of magnitude more people walk, bike, or take the bus across this bridge than drive personal vehicles.

Pass the BIRT fix reposted

Ben S
@bensh3.bsky.social

"“After [the Simonson deal], we realized the younger people wanted to [be in the city],” Kondisetty said."

Philadelphia Business Journal@philadelphia.bizjournals.com

Regional leadership expects the Philadelphia location to eventually overtake the Blue Bell office as headcount exceeds 600 employees across both sites.

bit.lyAfter rapid growth, RSM eyes even more expansion in PhiladelphiaRegional leadership expects the Philadelphia location to eventually overtake the Blue Bell office as headcount exceeds 600 employees across both sites.

Pass the BIRT fix reposted

Joseph N DiStefano
@phillyjoed.bsky.social

My Q&A with Gary Kim: "Shipyards are great for everyone except the people who work there. The economic boom is paid in blood." My latest, on why the real audience for shipyard recruiters shd be our 30MM construction, transport, factory workers. Q&A with Gary Kim: www.inquirer.com/business/han...

inquirer.comWhy don’t construction and factory workers want to build ships?Gary Kim, formerly a junior officer with U.S. Navy construction units in Asia, detailed the painful conditions and skilled labor shortages at shipyards around the world.

Pass the BIRT fix reposted

5th Square Advocacy
@5thsqadvocacy.org

As anti-Flock sentiment gains momentum, we want to remind everyone: red light/speed cameras ≠ Flock cameras Flock cameras are used for surveillance. Red light and speed cameras are used to enforce specific traffic violations in a privacy preserving way--and they save lives! 🧵

inquirer.comShapiro is wary of Flock cameras and the potential loss of privacyThe governor believes Pennsylvanians' privacy may be at risk, according to a spokesperson.
Pass the BIRT fix
@bradwilhelm.bsky.social

South Street east of Broad has a THIRTY percent vacancy rate. If that’s not a desperate enough situation to warrant a pedestrianization pilot I don’t know what is

Leonard Bonarek@lennibug.bsky.social

Only anchor institutions are surviving on once vibrant South Street in Philly, & 2/3 of the street is dedicated to cheap car storage. Pedestrianize it yesterday