Clean Air Council » transit oriented development

“The Hub” is a weekly round-up of transportation related news in the Philadelphia area and beyond. Check back weekly to keep up-to-date on the issues Clean Air Council’s transportation staff finds important.

The FIFA World Cup is here! Learn how you can get around to major summer 2026 events without a car, or being stuck in traffic with GoPhillyGo: Car-Free Routes Map!

The Inquirer: Philly has a new law to boost development around transit. Which neighborhoods will benefit? – City Council has approved a bill to incentivize denser and taller development around Philadelphia transit stations. City Council expanded the existing housing agenda to a quarter-mile radius around SEPTA rail, intercity bus stations, PATCO, water taxi, and some bus or trolley stops. However, the unique caveat making it different from other cities is that City Council must opt stations into the transit-oriented development policies. West Philadelphia representatives have opted in most Market Frankford Line stations, but no stops on the Broad Street Line have yet to be included. Factors making this difficult include different representative districts on the same transit lines and other political disagreements.

NBC Philadelphia: Safety, accessibility upgrades debut in along Market Street in Philly’s Old City – Ahead of the 250th celebrations in the city this summer, Market Street between 2nd and 6th has completed safety and accessibility improvements. Upgrades include new traffic and pedestrian signals, wider sidewalks, protected bike lanes, and accessible curb ramps. Improvements should continue across the city ahead of the 250th celebrations this summer.

BillyPenn: World Cup fans can take a hike — literally. Soccer enthusiasts in Philly can access Lemon Hill fan fest and other sites via trails – Philadelphia will host its first FIFA World Cup game this weekend, with an influx of fans heading to East Fairmount Park’s Lemon Hill. To avoid extreme traffic congestion and parking scarcities, the Circuit Trails Coalition is reminding the public of over 400 miles of trails in the greater Philadelphia area. The Schuylkill River Trail is 120 miles long, and fans can access many World Cup festivities without cars. Find other ways to access summer 2026 events with Clean Air Council’s GoPhillyGo: Car-Free Routes interactive map.

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PhillyVoice: With the World Cup set to kick off, SEPTA touts refurbished stations and additional train capacity

The Inquirer: City Council bans horse-drawn carriages in Philadelphia

BillyPenn: First modular shelters arrive for eventual inclusion in Chinatown Stitch cap park

The Inquirer: SEPTA is expanding daily bus service to the Navy Yard by extending Route 45

CBS Pittsburgh: Parkway East will close in 1 month for Commercial Street Bridge replacement project

Anthropocene: A landmark MIT study debunks persistent myths about electric vehicles

PhillyVoice: Walmart plans to bring delivery drones to Philly in 2027

Article tags: fifa world cup, market street, public transportation, SEPTA, the hub, transit oriented development, transportation

Join Transit Forward Philadelphia for events and actions to fight for transit funding and other wins in the City Budget. Attend City Council Budget Hearings, and learn how to advocate with Transit Forward Philadelphia.

Are you interested in improving the health and built environment of Philadelphia? The Nutrition and Physical Activity Team in the Health Department of Philadelphia is hiring a Built Environment Coordinator, and a Community Health Infrastructure Coordinator. Click the links in the titles to learn more about these roles and their impact!

The Inquirer: SEPTA wants to buy 247 new buses and install more fare evasion gates as part of proposed budget – SEPTA’s $1.84 billion operating budget for fiscal 2027 will be released next week. The budget represents only a 1.9% increase, despite rising inflation and labor costs. Compared to last fiscal year, riders will be pleased to see no service cuts and no fare increases. This is because of the state executive branch shifting funds around, after SEPTA was ignored in the state budget set by the legislative branch last season. Plans include a robust station cleaning program, new Transit Police officers, 247 new buses, and more evasion-resistant gates. Public hearings on the SEPTA budget will be held both at SEPTA headquarters and on Zoom, on 5/11, 5/12, and 5/13.

BillyPenn: ‘Just too onerous’: Getting bicycle racks in Philly should be simpler, advocates say – The current process of permitting and installing bike racks throughout Philadelphia is complicated, with too many requirements, according to members of the Philly Bike Action (PBA) group. About one-third of submitted bike rack applications were actually built from 2014 to 2024. Applications for bike racks have rigorous requirements, mostly due to right-of-way spacing rules, along with a $125 fee to apply. Right-of-way rules ensure sidewalks have an appropriate amount of space for pedestrians to move freely and for emergency responders to access spaces. The application also requires a site plan, which needs approval or to be provided by a state-licensed design professional. Philly could learn from other cities to streamline this process and encourage cycling throughout the city.

The Philadelphia Citizen: The Other Way Mayor Parker is Stepping Up for Transit – The H.O.M.E. bills introduced by the Mayor try to address a key factor in supporting public transit, land use rules surrounding stations. The bill aims to allow more multifamily buildings to be constructed near transit. Zoning changes include increasing unit density by 50%, adding one story of height, and cutting parking requirements by half. The current bill would also expand the law to increase from 500 feet to a quarter-mile radius from selected SEPTA stops. These changes emulate similar bills in comparable cities, Seattle, Chicago, and Austin, but are still a much smaller change in allowances.

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