Jon Geeting
@jongeeting.bsky.social
1.5K followers 600 following 210 posts
Fishtown dad, urbanist, writer, connector. Policy and Advocacy director at Build Philly Now. Co-founder @5thsq
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jongeeting.bsky.social
PA should build a lot more housing so PA doesn’t lose out in reapportionment again in 2030. The number we need to hit: 130,000 more homes above-baseline. That’s the same number Gov Shapiro says we need to hit to dig out of the statewide housing shortage thephiladelphiacitizen.org/the-key-to-p...
The Key To PA’s Power in D.C.?
Reapportionment will cost PA another Congressional seat in 2030 if we don’t stanch our population drain. Could the solution be … more housing?
thephiladelphiacitizen.org
Reposted by Jon Geeting
yonahfreemark.com
What's cool about these library–housing projects is that they leverage publicly owned land to:
—Provide the space for dozens to hundreds of new housing units.
—Create brand-new library facilities, absolutely necessary at a time when resources for libraries are declining.
jongeeting.bsky.social
The neighbors who opposed housing because they just wanted to see the library reopened as quickly as possible had a good point. The neighbors who opposed the very idea of housing on top of the library for other reasons did not have a good point
jongeeting.bsky.social
I thought CM Young was off-base trying to graft an affordable housing project onto the ready-to-go Cecil B. Moore library restoration project, but it was purely because of the last-minute timing and how it would have delayed the library project while they chased more funding
yonahfreemark.com
Cities are developing a new approach to developing housing: Integrating it into mixed-use library projects. These investments improve neighborhood vitality, add housing & improve services.

In new research @urbaninstitute.bsky.social, I create a database of such projects & point to success stories ⏬
Aging Libraries Could Offer Cities a Unique Opportunity to Build New Housing While Improving Public Services
Since 2000, more than 1,800 apartment units have been built in combined library-housing developments. These projects not only address local housing needs but…
www.urban.org
jongeeting.bsky.social
Intro to PJM policy lunch this Friday at Pipeline Philly buildphillynow.substack.com/p/policy-lun...
jongeeting.bsky.social
I kinda think this is a low-ball estimate. And doesn’t factor in all the housing we could get from this transforming southeastern PA land markets
Reposted by Jon Geeting
ryandahn.com
it's so blindingly obvious that we should do this. it would instantly transform the Philly area into one of the most accessible metropolitan areas in the country.

and yet our politicians don't even seem to realize it's a possibility...
Reposted by Jon Geeting
stephenjacobsmith.com
Does this assume status quo crew levels, or some efficiencies (and if so, what)?
SEPTA projects that the plan, if enacted, could result in a 101% increase in service throughput in the region, doubling regional rail ridership compared to 2019 levels. It would also entail a 42% increase in operating costs, which is clearly unachievable without a plan for more state and regional funding.
Reposted by Jon Geeting
robjackel.bsky.social
Deeply transformative if they can get the funding to do it right. Would fundamentally change how we get around the city.
jongeeting.bsky.social
We have a great couple of energy-themed policy lunches coming up starting this Friday 10/3 with Christine Knapp (ex-Biden DOE), and on 10/10 with Zach Greene doing an intro to PJM and energy markets buildphillynow.substack.com/p/policy-lun...
Flyer for Build Philly Now’s 10/3 policy lunch with Christine Knapp
Reposted by Jon Geeting
kelseyreichmann.bsky.social
There is so little transparency on how shadow docket decisions are made that I'm tempted to read into Kagan's note that the justices didn't get to deliberate in conference.

Do they get to for some applications? Maybe, maybe not www.courthousenews.com/supreme-cour...
Reposted by Jon Geeting
kelseyreichmann.bsky.social
BREAKING: Supreme Court lets Trump unilaterally freeze billions in congressionally appropriated foreign aid money

apparent 6-3 vote with liberals in dissent @courthousenews.bsky.social
Reposted by Jon Geeting
marriannemc.bsky.social
The first Chicago River swim in 98 years! The water is now clean enough. Congratulations to the hundreds of swimmers completing the swim this morning!
Reposted by Jon Geeting
publicuniversal.bsky.social
Probably the only American city with through-running legacy regional rail and one of the few with a quasi-Stadtbahn though, which is cool
Reposted by Jon Geeting
publicuniversal.bsky.social
Philly is the classic case of “80% of the infra to be a first-rate transit city aaaaaaand then job sprawl and the 70s-90s happened“
jongeeting.bsky.social
One thing we’re doing is moving our two-year-old Philadelphia 3.0 Friday policy lunch series over to Build Philly Now. You can sign up for the email list on the Substack or the RSVP form here. We have lunches coming up about PJM, SEPTA, and more on most Fridays substack.com/@buildphilly...
Policy Lunch 9/19: Alix Sullivan, Pew Charitable Trusts
Philadelphia's capital budget and State of the City neighborhood data series
substack.com
jongeeting.bsky.social
It’s also our sense that city politics features an excessive undercurrent of negativity about doing what’s required to create more of the material things that everybody needs—housing, transportation, and energy. We’ll be doing our best to inject more positivity about these things into policy debates
jongeeting.bsky.social
Some of this has been borne out of frustration that when the city had a limited opportunity to move more aggressively in pursuit of federal infrastructure grants under Biden, there was a LOT more effort spent on figuring out how to divvy up the pie than on getting more total dollars in the door
jongeeting.bsky.social
One of the premises of this project is that an urbanist agenda of more infill housing, more transit, and more affordable energy needs to reconsider the power map in our local political moment. All these things are more likely to be successfully advanced by a coalition of labor and builder interests
jongeeting.bsky.social
Since 2023 I’ve been doing less newsletter writing, and spending more time doing politics to rebuild the Growth Machine coalition in Philly. I’m going to be writing more about our issues—housing, infrastructure, and energy—at the new Build Philly Now Substack open.substack.com/pub/buildphi...
Philadelphia's Surprising Improvement on Job Growth
Great news overall, but Center City office buildings still can't catch a break
open.substack.com
Reposted by Jon Geeting
ndhapple.bsky.social
This idea that somehow rural areas underwrite metros is not only wrong, it’s entirely inverted — and yet it perversely animates basically every element of our current political life.
Reposted by Jon Geeting
ndhapple.bsky.social
I’m going to quote tweet Jarrett’s column the whole way to Boston today, but I want to start with these very basic stats.

“The five southeastern counties are home to about 32% of PA residents, and contribute around 40% of the state’s tax dollars”

thephiladelphiacitizen.org/southeastern...