January 4: North Poles redo | Residential solar challenges | 1900 Market’s digital band

Who will upgrade and maintain the North Poles, the light masts stretching up thon North Broad Street for 2.5 miles? Curbed reports that an RFP offered by North Broad Renaissance is seeking a contractor to order and install different LED lights and maintain the installation. For background on just how these poles came to be, and how no one really wanted to take ownership of the project, revisit Ryan Briggs’ piece for us on the splintering of Avenue of the Arts.

Residential solar installations are on the rise, but going solar isn’t as easy as it ought to be. Andrew Maykuth shares the challenges homeowners face from PECO, including compatibility issues with older power systems and foot-dragging from the utility. “There’s this ethos inside of PECO that solar costs everybody more money, that solar people are sort of free-riding the grid,” Micha Gold-Markel, founder of Solar States, said.

Should 1900 Market be wrapped with a ribbon of digital signage? Jacob Adelman reports that Center City Residents Association objects to the proposal from Brandywine Realty Trust and Independence Blue Cross to add the signage between 3rd and 4th floor windows on the former stock exchange building.

Transportation Alternatives has produced a new guide – Vision Zero Street Design Standard – aimed at maximizing street safety. It’s geared at New York City but there is plenty of food for thought in it for Philly.

What if gun violence was treated as a public health epidemic instead of a policing problem? NPR reports that a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found gun violence can spread like an infectious disease, requiring different approaches for vulnerable populations. Moreover, treating gun violence in public health terms requires funding for research.

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