With a vintage tile facade and large glass display windows lined neatly with books, Making Worlds Cooperative Bookstore and Social Center’s storefront is ideal. However, this charming spot was not intended for retail; cofounder Malav Kanuga first identified the space as a storage facility for his independent publishing house, Common Notions. “The original plan was
More
Environmental issues are rarely at the top of the political agenda. If they were, we might not need this special issue looking at Mayor Cherelle Parker’s first year. Given the long list of environmental problems facing Philadelphia and the long list of solutions beginning to be worked out, it wasn’t entirely clear where to start.
More
At her inauguration on January 2, 2024, Cherelle Parker said, “We will make Philadelphia the safest, cleanest and greenest big city in the nation.” Philadelphia has long been plagued by litter, poorly-contained household trash and illegal dumping (“short dumping”) of waste that should be taken directly to a commercial dump: old tires, debris from construction,
More
Philadelphia is often ranked among the best cities in the country for cycling. And yet, leading up to the 2023 mayoral election, cyclists had reason to fear for their safety on city streets. That year, 10 cyclists were killed in vehicular crashes, one third the number of cyclist deaths reported in New York City —
More
Nearly two years after the launch of the Philly Tree Plan, the City’s ambitious effort to reverse decades of urban canopy loss is still in its infancy. A $12 million U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant represents a significant step forward, but community advocates and public health leaders worry that progress isn’t moving quickly enough.
More
Like a lot of Grid readers, I’m still adjusting to the reality of the 2024 presidential election. There is my conscious perception of reality, based on the facts of the world, and there is my gut-level sense of reality, colored by how I think the world should be. The two are out of whack. Case
More
On a chilly night in February, a group of young people gathered on the steps of City Hall, armed with hand-painted artwork, prepared speeches, chants and community speakers; the Philly Thrive interns had organized a press conference to support housing justice in Grays Ferry. They were calling on City Council to support affordable housing legislation
More
On a drive through Tacony Creek Park in the spring of 2020, Lawncrest resident Dallas Herbert Sr. could barely get around illegally-dumped construction debris and tires. He was appalled. An executive board member of the Lawncrest Community Association, Herbert asked his older neighbors about this particularly trashed stretch called Snake Road; many informed him that
More
For generations, countless students and teachers have braved the asbestos, lead, mold and other hazards lurking within century-old nooks and crannies of Philadelphia public school buildings. It sure looks like yet another generation may face the dangers anew. Even after a substantial increase in education funding was negotiated in the State Capitol this summer, a
More
I made the mistake of watching the presidential debate between Vice President Harris and former President Trump on September 10. I had earlier decided that watching it was pointless; there is no question who I am voting for. And I am an early-to-bed kind of guy, so the next day I paid a price for
More
During his third year in office as a Pennsylvania State Representative, Joe Webster found a menace hiding within his bucolic Montgomery County district. Snaking its way through the landscape, lurking beneath bridges near the downtowns of Schwenksville, Graterford and Collegeville, the Perkiomen Creek was lying in wait. When the remnants of Hurricane Ida arrived in
More