The Philadelphia City Planning Commission seeks applications for Community Partners as part of the public engagement strategy for the City’s comprehensive plan update. Beginning this summer, Philadelphia2050: Planning Together will use community feedback and updated data to re-evaluate the recommendations set in the city’s current comprehensive plan, Philadelphia2035.

The Philadelphia City Planning Commission is charter-mandated to maintain the City’s comprehensive plan. Philadelphia2050: Planning Together will include an updated set of recommendations that City departments and partner agencies will consider as part of their decision-making processes. The Citywide Vision of the current comprehensive plan was adopted in 2011.

“Philadelphia2050: Planning Together is our opportunity to come together and think through the ways Philly can adapt to our changing world,” said Octavia Howell, Executive Director of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission. “Our public engagement in this planning effort will help us utilize Philadelphians’ lived experience to inform actionable recommendations. Since we last updated our comprehensive plan, Philadelphia experienced history-making reinvestments in its neighborhoods and real estate, unprecedented flood events, and pandemic-driven shifts in where people live and work. These forces, as well as the ongoing challenges around vacant land and aging infrastructure, will influence how the city looks and feels for decades to come.”

As part of gathering citywide feedback to inform Philadelphia2050: Planning Together, the Planning Commission staff will work with eight Community Partners. These trusted community organizations will host community engagement events, analyze feedback from residents, and ensure alignment of the comprehensive plan with community goals. Community Partners will be trained and compensated for their work. Partnership opportunities are available in 9- and 18-month terms, with compensation of $15,000 and $30,000, respectively.

The Planning Commission welcomes Community Partner applications from all interested groups. The application portal is open through May 30, 2025. Planning Commission staff will host a virtual information session about the opportunity on Thursday, May 15, 2025, at 6 p.m.

To learn more and apply to be a Community Partner, or to recommend a potential Community Partner, visit the City Fund website.

Information about Philadelphia2050: Planning Together, citywide public engagement opportunities and project updates will be posted to phila.gov/Phila2050.