Community engagement continues to drive the City’s public restroom pilot program. A second Philly Phlush opens today at 15th and Arch Street
Philadelphia (July 11, 2023) – The results of a poll asking the public to weigh in on a name for Philadelphia’s new public restrooms has closed and votes point to “Philly Phlush” as the winner. The six public stand-alone restrooms in the pilot program will be labeled with the Philly-centric name in addition to recognizing the design firm behind the stand-alone structures – Madden Fabrication and the Portland Loo model. The first public restroom in the pilot just opened in Fotterall Square in North Philadelphia in June and the second opened today at 15th and Arch Streets in Center City across from Love Park. The third restroom to open will be in Clark Park in West Philadelphia. The additional three sites are yet to be selected.
The stand-alone restroom structure, first installed and tested in Portland, is known for being durable, easy to clean, and having crime prevention design features like graffiti-proof wall panels. The unit is ADA accessible, and it can fit a bicycle, a stroller, or two adults and a child. The model has now been installed in over 20 cities; in Philadelphia, the City decided to give the restrooms a local name.
Voting was open for one week (June 23-29) and attracted 8,366 voters, with an overwhelming majority (5,808 votes) for Phlush. The other two options were “Philly Loo,” with 1,705 votes, and “Philly Public Restrooms,” with 853 votes. People could vote through Twitter, LinkedIn, or a survey distributed through flyers and online postings.
“The media was instrumental in getting the word out too,” said Managing Director Tumar Alexander, “and, of course, we were not surprised by Philadelphians’ boos and their own ideas for the name. Our city’s creativity and humor are like no other city.”
This voting process is not the first time the public restroom program team tapped into the public for their input. In 2021, the City engaged civic and community leaders, businesses, unhoused Philadelphians, and the general public to gather feedback, concerns, and recommendations for location, operations, and maintenance of a public restroom in Center City. The team also held pop up events in both Love Park and at the Municipal Services Building to gather feedback and offer art activities facilitated by Mural Arts to engage people in a conversation about public restrooms.
The City team also conducted a survey to learn how people feel about the current porta-potties and how to provide a better experience with the new model. Survey outreach included nearby civic groups, organizations, businesses, nearby people experiencing homelessness/housing insecurity, and five outdoor events. That survey found that 89% of respondents envision a new permanent public restroom as a positive amenity. The results from the pilot survey are available online. Residents are encouraged to check the restroom project’s blog for updates.
“We also involved the Philadelphia Police Department in planning conversations,” said Alexander. “The site criteria checklist includes safety measures like good lighting and whether the location is on a Police Department route. We also worked with PPD to conduct a safety analysis for the proposed sites. During the community engagement process for each site, we also solicit feedback about what factors would make residents feel safe using the public restroom.”
The public restroom pilot is included in the Mayor’s Five-Year Plan with a budget of $656,864 annually. This budget includes the three full-time staff that will service all the units in the pilot, supplies, equipment, installing more units over time, and $5,000 per unit per year for repairs.
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Restroom Name Survey Results Detail
Total votes: 8,366
PHLUSH – 69.4% (5,808); Philly Loo – 20.3% (1,705); Philly Public Restroom – 10.2% (853)
Votes on Twitter: 1,141
PHLUSH – 61.3% (699), Philly Loo – 23.3% (266), Philly Public Restroom – 15.4% (176)
Votes on LinkedIn: 541
PHLUSH – 53% (287); Philly Loo – 26% (141); Philly Public Restroom – 21% (113)
Votes using online survey: 6,684
PHLUSH – 72.1% (4,822); Philly Loo – 19.4% (1,298); Philly Public Restroom – 8.4% (564)