Jon Geeting

2 weeks ago | thephiladelphiacitizen.org | Jon Geeting

By now, it’s clear to anyone paying attention that SEPTA is in a crisis — what has been termed a “death spiral” — due to lack of ridership and accompanying lack of revenue. That’s why in the fall Governor Josh Shapiro flexed highway funds to SEPTA last fall after transit funding negotiations stalled in the Republican-controlled PA Senate, and why he has included more money for the agency in his proposed FY 2026 budget.

3 weeks ago | thephiladelphiacitizen.org | Jon Geeting

In a rare special address to City Council on March 24, Mayor Cherelle Parker laid out more of the details of her administration’s Housing Opportunities Made Easy (H.O.M.E.) plan, the largest-ever public investment in housing in Philadelphia’s history. With a commendable emphasis on urgency and results, the Parker administration’s $2 billion plan aims to create 13,500 new homes to buy or rent, and preserve 16,500 existing homes, adding up to her campaign pledge of 30,000.

1 month ago | thephiladelphiacitizen.org | Jon Geeting

With negotiations underway for Mayor Parker’s Mission 30,000 initiative to build and preserve 30,000 homes in Philadelphia, one particular City program is primed to have its heyday: The Land Bank. Established by City Council in 2012, the Land Bank was intended to speed up and ease the process of selling acres of city land to developers to build much-needed moderately-priced homes, alongside community uses like gardens and public spaces.

1 month ago | thephiladelphiacitizen.org | Jon Geeting

There’s a certain brilliance to Mayor Cherelle Parker’s Mission 30,000 initiative as a political focal point for Philadelphia’s housing debates. During the 2023 Mayoral campaign, then-Councilmember Parker pledged to preside over the creation and preservation of 30,000 homes during her term, one of the main measurable goals she outlined before winning the election.

Dec 19, 2024 | thephiladelphiacitizen.org | Jon Geeting

The public debate over the proposed 76 Place has been disorienting for many of us who care about smarter urban development and growing public transit ridership. A broad desire to increase density around public transit, especially in Center City, has been replaced by a focus on the appearance of a subway station. Voices praising the additional transit ridership potential have been drowned out by arguments about increased costs.