Philadelphia

‘Like an asteroid struck’: Bella Vista residents survey damage after massive water main break

The Monday following the main break on 6th and South Streets, the Water Department did not have an estimate on properties damaged, the cost or timeline of repairs. Interviewing impacted residents WHYY reporters did gather that the damages done were mostly to things of sentimental value. The...Read more

Philadelphia scales back requested water rate increase, to 10.2%

The Philadelphia Water Department scaled back its requested 17.6% two-year rate increase after City Hall reduced the amount the department contributes...Read more

Philadelphia School District Moving Forward With Plans To Return Students To Classroom Before Thanksgiving

It seems my field of research (internet insecurity in Philadelphia) has led me down a path of focusing primarily on how schools are reopening.

This article discusses the plans Philadelphia has in order to get students back into school on November 17th, and their recent reaffirmation of...Read more

Energy Burdens in Philadelphia

This artifact is apart of the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy's 2020 report on residential energy burdens in 25 metro areas. According to ACEE, "a high energy burden is considered to be above 6%, and a severe energy burden above 10%". 

A quarter of low-income households...Read more

Philly schools spending $11M on computers to be used during coronavirus closures; Comcast CEO, family donating $5M

After the COVID-19 pandemic shuts down Philadelphia, the school district tries to purchase enough computers to supply a computer to every student. After the initial shut down the Philadelphia school district makes moves to bring equity of education to all primary and secondary students.Read more

Help All Students #LogOnPHL

This article discusses a new hotline set up to help students and families navigate this new school year. It was written by Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenny and superintendent William Hite Jr. One thing I have noticed in every article I have found is the increasing usage of the term "digital divide...Read more

What is Energy Literacy?

This article critically engages the lingering universalisms haunting literature on energy literacy by demonstrating the need to situate diverse forms of energy knowledge within local energy ecologies and by "pinning" the concept of energy literacy to energy vulnerability.Read more

Squatting for survival in Philadelphia: What it’s like to live in a ‘takeover house’

The article goes in-depth about the history of squatting in the city of Philadelphia and the situations that lead to squatting in cities like Philadelphia with high unemployment, homelessness, transient or intermittent housing, and high percentages of low-income households (Chicago for example...Read more

3 people, 200 square miles, Managing homelessness, remote school, and life in a pandemic , and a life in a pandemic

Many of the artifacts I have posted here have revolved around the digital divide in a purely academic sense, and while this article touches on that subject, it also goes deeper and explores the social ramifications of the digital divide. 

It is psuedo-ethnographic in the way that it...Read more

PHLRentAssist Phase 4 Frequently Asked Questions

This artifact contains frequently asked questions for Phase 4 of Philadelphia's rental assistance program. Read more

Educating on renewables

Coming off our EVP group discussion on Friday (July 3rd) about the brand ambassadors that Solarize Philly uses, I was interested to see that The Energy Co-op had run a similar peer-to-peer...Read more

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