City Releases Street Furniture RFP

A message from Next Great City:

The City’s long awaited Request for Proposals (RFP) for a new street furniture program has now been released. The RFP calls for a program that includes transit shelters, sheltered bike parking, and informational signage. These amenities will increase Philadelphia’s livability, improve the appearance of its streetscapes, and generate non-tax revenue.  

Next Great City recommended the City enter into a new contract in order to increase public transit ridership and make communities safer. We co-hosted a forum on the future of street furniture at the Academy of Natural Sciences with the Mayor’s Office of Transportation and Utilities this past October. We also publicized the City’s online survey about priorities for a street furniture program. The comments at the forum and the responses of the over 2,000 individuals who filled out the City’s survey helped shape the street furniture RFP.  Key features of the RFP include:

• significant increase in the number of transit shelters across the City 
• transit information signage on every shelter
• a pilot program for real-time information in transit shelters
• an aggressive maintenance plan to ensure that street furniture looks great and operates well

Additional opportunity for public comment will be available through a design charrette once the City has selected a vendor and we will make sure to share the details with you at that time.