Philadelphia Agenda
A city of neighborhoods, builders, workers, and institutions that should work better for everyone.
Introduction
Philadelphia has extraordinary assets: history, universities, hospitals, neighborhood identity, transit bones, relative affordability, and a deep civic memory. The Functionalists' Philadelphia agenda focuses on making it easier to repair homes, build homes, open businesses, improve safety, strengthen public services, and make city government easier to use.
1. Build More Homes And Repair More Homes
Philadelphia should make it easier to convert vacant and underused property into safe homes, repair aging rowhouses, add gentle density near transit, and speed up code-compliant projects.
- Current policy
- What is broken
- Our reform
- Who benefits
- Critics and tradeoffs
- Implementation steps
- Sources to add
2. Make Small Business Easier
A city of neighborhoods needs neighborhood businesses. Permits, licenses, taxes, inspections, and commercial corridor support should be clear, fast, predictable, and designed for first-time operators.
- Current policy
- What is broken
- Our reform
- Who benefits
- Critics and tradeoffs
- Implementation steps
- Sources to add
3. Safe, Clean, Humane Neighborhoods
Public safety, addiction response, mental health care, sanitation, vacant lots, and public-space management should be handled together instead of passed from agency to agency.
- Current policy
- What is broken
- Our reform
- Who benefits
- Critics and tradeoffs
- Implementation steps
- Sources to add
4. Health And Hospital City
Philadelphia's hospitals, universities, clinics, and insurers should help prove a proactive health model: prevention, primary care, transparent prices, and measurable follow-up.
- Current policy
- What is broken
- Our reform
- Who benefits
- Critics and tradeoffs
- Implementation steps
- Sources to add
5. Open Philadelphia Government
Residents should be able to track permits, procurement, budget decisions, agency response times, public works, and election rules without needing insider knowledge.
- Current policy
- What is broken
- Our reform
- Who benefits
- Critics and tradeoffs
- Implementation steps
- Sources to add