Photo of Derrick Pratt, Marilyn Rodriguez, Tracie Jackson, and Jennifer Allen working around a zoning map.

We are looking for a new cohort of Citizens Planners! The deadline to apply is Wednesday, August 28 at 11:59pm.  

• Classes will take place 6-9pm on October 1, 9, 16, 23, 30, November 6, 13, and 20th.
• Most of the sessions will be in person at 1515 Arch Street, 18th floor. 
• Two of the three classes also open to alumni will be held over Zoom.
• This semester we’re doing something different and all classes are required for the new cohort.

Check out the courses being offered this season.

Help us spread the word! Use this social media kit. 

Thank you to all the alumni and staff who joined us for happy hour at Triple Bottom Brewery last month! Always great to see you all in person. 

Ali Saribas (Spring 2017) has been the youngest participant in CPI – applying while he was in high school! Now, he’s looking to shift into City Planning as a career. Read more about Ali's story!

Congrats CPI Alum Falena Hand!

Now the Manager of Community Engagement and Volunteer Services, at the Free Library of Philadelphia, overseeing the recruitment, intake, and training of volunteers. This includes English Conversation Group Facilitators, Community Service volunteers, and Parkway Central Library tour guides. She also manages the work study and internship program, where Library Science college students have access to deep learning opportunities in neighborhood library branches and specialty departments like the Fleisher and Drinker Collections and Rare Books.

Citizen Planner and PACDC VISTA Francois Chargois gave a presentation on Decolonial Planning. In case you missed it, you can watch the recording. This work was previously presented for Citizens Planning Institute of Philadelphia last Fall. You will learn about incorporating historical context of the city so we can make just decisions for neighborhoods and city. 

Artwork by Dina Farone.

Catch Kim Jordan (Fall 2017) in the news speaking about the Philly Orchard Project and their work to bring the community closer to nature.

The 2024 Mpact Transit + Community conference is coming to Philadelphia! Formerly known as Rail~Volution, the conference brings together cross-sector leaders and practitioners from across the United States and Canada to focus on the challenges facing transit-oriented communities and innovative solutions to meet them.  

Join others dedicated to taking a community-first approach to transit, mobility and development projects. 

Sunday October 20 - Wednesday October 23

Urban Planning and its Relationship to the Land

It can be assumed that the planning profession trains urban planners to facilitate the transaction of land, through mechanisms such as zoning, land use, real estate, and community development. Yet we have to ask ourselves: who benefits from these transactions vs who do these transactions impact the most, and at what cost? This webinar will explore different alternatives to our understanding of the land, and examples of the ways in which we can problematize our relationship to the land within current systemic structures. This event is part of a monthly webinar series from titled Reimagining Urban Planning for Belonging by the Othering and & Belonging Institute.

Thursday, August 8 | 2:00-3:30pm | Webinar

Game On-Community Places to Play

LISC and DICK's Sporting Goods Foundation are accepting applications from nonprofits to create or renovate multi-use sport spaces for youth; projects which include youth development programming will be given special consideration. Learn more and apply by September 5th. 

Foot Locker Foundation Community Empowerment Program

Over the past 3 years, LISC and Foot Locker Foundation have awarded grants to 50+ youth-serving nonprofits nationwide. Could your nonprofit be next? Learn more about the program and apply for grants up to $100K by Sept 30.

Starting in the fall of 2024, professionals of color in the Delaware River Watershed region can join a six-month cohort led by Institute for Conservation Leadership (ICL). Since BIPOC communities in environmental organizations operate in a space with lower representation and higher barriers to advance their careers, this program is intended to create and support a cohort of young professionals in their work. The cohort will have opportunities for career development, network building, and skills development to enhance and advance their professional pursuits.

If you’re looking for homebuying or home-maintenance info and don’t know where to start, come to Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation's Annual Housing Fair!

Meet with pros to learn all about available programs and services!

Learn about volunteer Board of Director positions with Friends of the Tanner House, Inc., as they prepare to expand the Board for up to (5) positions in 2024-25. Learn about the requirements, their organizational values + ethics, and opportunity for Q+A.

TODAY - August 1, 6:00-7:00pm | Virtual

The Rail Park is offering a Three Mile Vision Walking Tour! During the tour, attendees will be guided along the city’s streets, traveling through Philadelphia’s former industrial center. Attendees will see public works of art, industrial remnants, and wild urban ecologies as they look above and below them, peering into and learning about the unique sites that are a part of the vision for the Rail Park. Book your tour.

The Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia has added Neighborhood Walking Tours through August! Explore your city on a tour old and new, and discover amazing stories in neighborhoods in and around Philadelphia. See the tour schedule.

Training Offerings from the Organizing Center

Looking for training that helps you get your people organized to take action? The Organizing Center provides the training, coaching and support base building organizers need to build strong and resilient movements for social justice. (CPI 2019 Alum Jennine Miller is consulting with them!) Check out their upcoming trainings in August including From Apathy to Action: Organizing Conversations that Grow Our Movements.

The Department of Planning & Development is looking for an Executive Director for the Zoning Board of Adjustment.

The Office of Director of Finance is looking for a a dynamic leader to support staff who work with a cluster of departments as their Finance Engagement Manager.

The Division of Maternal, Child, and Family Health is searching for a Healthy Start Doula Program Manager. They are responsible for general oversight of the program, including day-to-day operations of the program, and regular communication with doulas to ensure they are managing case responsibilities.

The Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity (CEO) is hiring a Qualitative Research and Reporting Manager! 

Philadelphia Housing Development Corp (PHDC) has multiple openings:

Affordable Housing Loan Officer

Director, Accounting

Director, Multi-Family Development Finance

Director, Real Estate

Housing Rehabilitation Inspector III

Risk and Insurance Manager

Service Representative 1 (Bi-Lingual Spanish)

Temple University Ambler Campus is hiring a Manager of Experiential Learning

Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission is looking for a Planning Intern, and a Smart Growth Intern for the Fall of 2024.

They are also looking for a Financial Reporting Senior Specialist.

Ubuntu Center on Racism, Global Movements & Population Health Equity at the Dornsife School of Public Health is hiring a Researcher and Organizer.

Councilmember O’Rourke is seeking paid interns. Specific focus areas include Legislative & policy, and Social media. More details can be found on City Council’s website.

Consider making a tax-deductible contribution! Click "support this project" on the CPI page on the Philadelphia City Fund website.

Donations will go towards scholarships, printing Citizens Toolkits, increasing support for CPI alumni, and expand CPI programming beyond the biannual course.