We desperately need a gun violence "Marshall Plan"
Philadelphia City Councilmember Curtis Jones Jr. lays out a dozen steps we need to take to help stop the rise in shootings in Philly.
Mar 15, 2021•5 min•Season 1Ep. 552
CitizenCast
The Philadelphia Citizen podcast offers spoken versions of articles, deeper dives into the political, social and cultural workings of our city, explainers on the issues of our day, interviews, conversations and solutions. Lots of solutions. All to help you become a better citizen of your city.
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Episodes
Wanted: Any new ideas
Philly's elected officials all mouth the same platitudes we’ve heard before—fiddling, in other words, while Philadelphia burns. But here are a couple of reasons to be hopeful.
Mar 11, 2021•7 min•Season 1Ep. 551
Truth & Consequences
Philadelphia ad agency Truth & Consequences has an effective blueprint for company culture: taking care—great care—of its employees.
Mar 11, 2021•9 min•Season 1Ep. 550
Can the future still be female?
Covid has wreaked havoc on women's careers—but we can choose to undo the damage
Mar 10, 2021•8 min•Season 1Ep. 549
Reality Check: From trash to tech
Emily Yates, Smart City Director at the Office of Information & Technology, chats with WURD host Ralph Ellison about diverting tons of old electronics and clothing away from landfills and helping place refurbished computers in homes that need them.
Mar 09, 2021•13 min•Season 1Ep. 548
Would rallying around the mayor make things better?
Former Pennsylvania governor and Philly mayor Ed Rendell and Congressman Dwight Evans say yes--we should be supporting Mayor Kenney. This is their conversation with Larry Platt.
Mar 05, 2021•7 min•Season 1Ep. 547
Finding a shot
Wharton student David Newell launched findashort.org to help Americans reserve vaccine appointments. Because we need all the help we can get.
Mar 04, 2021•7 min•Season 1Ep. 546
Reality Check: COmmunity VIDeo
WURD host Charles Ellison chats with Aleks Martray & Nasya Jenkins about Big Picture Alliance and the screening of youth-created films that explore the pandemic.
Mar 03, 2021•23 min•Season 1Ep. 545
Let's make this sheriff Philly's last
Yet another scandal prompts a former city official—and one-time candidate for the job—to call for getting rid of the Sheriff's Office altogether
Mar 02, 2021•7 min•Season 1Ep. 544
Can our fight with Covid-19 actually improve education in Philly?
Philly has started planning for ways to help students make up for Covid-related learning loss. But do we really want to get back to normal?
Feb 26, 2021•8 min•Season 1Ep. 543
What is the best way to eliminate student debt?
Some amount of debt forgiveness will help students and the economy. But the best way to eliminate student debt: prevent it.
Feb 24, 2021•7 min•Season 1Ep. 542
Fair housing in Philly--should we look to Connecticut?
Desegregate CT is fighting housing discrimination, and its effects, by taking on a little-understood piece of bureaucracy: zoning laws.
Feb 22, 2021•9 min•Season 1Ep. 541
Our breakdown of who we'd LIKE to see running for mayor
In this disruptor edition, Larry Platt names 8 bold, talented, unconventional picks for the 2023 mayoral race
Feb 19, 2021•9 min•Season 1Ep. 540
Rats are all over the Parkway!
A local's encounter with rodents sent her on an odyssey to get city action. Here’s what happened.
Feb 18, 2021•7 min•Season 1Ep. 539
Philly's potential to change the world
Penn’s Orphan Disease Center turns 10 this year. Its promise for Philadelphia, writes Ajay Raju, goes well beyond science.
Feb 17, 2021•7 min•Season 1Ep. 538
And they're off! Our breakdown of who could be running for mayor in 2023.
Larry Platt offers pros and cons about eight Philadelphians likely to throw their hat in the mayoral ring.
Feb 12, 2021•8 min•Season 1Ep. 537
Jezabel's Cafe is doing better than ever—and it's not going back to "normal," even after the pandemic
Hear how this Argentine Bakery & BYO found a way to thrive during Covid-19 and beyond
Feb 10, 2021•8 min•Season 1Ep. 536
This company is bringing analog and digital together in the coolest way
Oat Foundry's commitment to using recyclable plastic in their hip split-flap signs was both a mission-driven and practical decision.
Feb 09, 2021•8 min•Season 1Ep. 535
Reality Check: Who didn't vote in 2020? How do we change that?
Contributing writer Malcolm Burnley talks with WURD host Charles Ellison about Philly’s once-in-a-generation turnout that helped give Joe Biden the presidency, and how North Philly’s Hunting Park voters mostly stayed home.
Feb 07, 2021•23 min•Season 1Ep. 534
Can free cash really solve Philadelphia's poverty problem?
Philly has signed on to give unrestricted cash payments to some residents this year. Is it a progressive fad or the way to fix what ails us?
Feb 05, 2021•9 min•Season 1Ep. 533
These STEM jobs could put a dent in our employment problem
The BULB initiative aims to help Philadelphians secure solid careers in high-growth STEM industries
Feb 04, 2021•6 min•Season 1Ep. 532
This could be key to a successful vaccine rollout: med students
Jay S. Feldstein explains why we should mobilize medical students to jumpstart the coronavirus vaccination rollout.
Feb 02, 2021•5 min•Season 1Ep. 531
Hey Jim Kenney: Forget the Senate run, Philadelphia needs a mayor
After a terrible week, it's no wonder Mayor Kenney has floated the idea of cutting bait and running for Senate. But is that the right way to go?
Jan 29, 2021•6 min•Season 1Ep. 530
A compelling opinion on why we shouldn't abolish our city commissioners
A business owner and civic leader argues that pulling off the 2020 election should make us rethink calls to eliminate the city commissioners.
Jan 28, 2021•6 min•Season 1Ep. 529
Dear Pandemic project fights misinformation on Covid-19
A volunteer team of women scientists launched Dear Pandemic last year to spread real and clear information about Covid-19.
Jan 26, 2021•7 min•Season 1Ep. 528
Reality Check: This wellness program helped local families recoup $700K in tax refunds
WURD host Charles Ellison speaks with Dr. George Dalembert, practicing pediatrician, about the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia initiative to tackle poverty by helping families recoup tax money owed to them
Jan 24, 2021•16 min•Season 1Ep. 527
Our DA has botched true reform. Can the May election change things?
The race for district attorney is off to an all too-familiar start. Here’s hoping it will include a debate over what smart reform actually looks like.
Jan 22, 2021•7 min•Season 1Ep. 526
Is Philly really ready for a third wave of political activism?
Now is the time to capitalize on the greatest civic engagement in a generation. Former city official John Kromer lays out a plan to do that.
Jan 20, 2021•6 min•Season 1Ep. 525
A new way to view ballet may offer a way forward for the arts in Philly
Is the BalletX Beyond subscription service a new lifeline to the beleaguered arts community in Philly, and elsewhere?
Jan 19, 2021•6 min•Season 1Ep. 524
SHHH - a poem of healing
What can you say when there is nothing to say? A poem about listening and healing by writer, director and social activist Marc Erlbaum may grant insight.
Jan 17, 2021•2 min•Season 1Ep. 523
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