Philly residents take a DIY approach to solving quality of life issues

It may take a keen eye to notice the white panels mounted on the buildings that surround Norris Square Park, but anyone with a phone or laptop will notice this: the park has public WiFi. 

Those white panels are part of a network of equipment installations that project WiFi onto Norris Square, reaching everything within the panels’ “line of sight.” 

And projects such as these are part of a larger trend of communities finding ways to provide services and information — and even, sometimes, signage — when it isn’t provided by more formal means.

The Kensington park is in one of several neighborhoods that Philly Community Wireless has brought online —  for free — since 2020. Much of this coverage is outdoors and challenges the concept of Internet access as a private privilege.  

“At this point, the Internet … is a necessity,” PCW Outreach Coordinator Leanne Przybylowski said. “You should be able to access the Internet no matter what in today’s world.” 

While Philadelphia has initiatives to improve digital literacy and to connect individuals with low-cost or free Internet, it lacks free, public networks. Even in its public libraries, users must log into the WiFi network using a library card, and often the connection doesn’t reach outside. 

Recognizing the problem, a small group of Philadelphians took it upon themselves to help fix it. They have been helped by some community partners, including the independent Internet service provider Philly Wisper, and residents who let the group install equipment on their buildings to extend the network’s range. 

Installations at eight locations surrounding Norris Square Park provide total coverage for the park that even allows some neighboring buildings to connect, too, Przybylowski told Billy Penn. 

“For me, it’s always been about the things that the city is not doing for us that we need to do for ourselves,” Executive Director Alex Wermer-Colan said. “If you can do what we’re doing with WiFi, I would hope it opens up in people’s minds all kinds of other ideas for what they could do in their community.”

It’s called ‘tactical urbanism’

Plenty of Philadelphians have followed that principle and taken direct action with a DIY methodology called “tactical urbanism” to fill in gaps where the city’s resources or infrastructure falls short. While PCW is different in its being a non-profit, its mission comes back to the same idea that guides all tactical urbanists: “If the city isn’t doing it, we will.” 

Another example occurred last month, in West Philly, when a resident installed signs to warn cyclists of an oncoming construction site. The short notice provided by the city left cyclists with little time to merge into the vehicle lane, which requires crossing over trolley tracks. 

The resident, who wanted to remain anonymous due to the potential illegality of the unofficial installation, named the construction site at the 4500 block of Baltimore Avenue “Brad the Pit” to make it easier to identify and warn others of. 

“I don’t think that the signs that I put up are sufficient for what the city should have done,” the resident said. “I think the city should have blocked off more space in front of the pit to give better visibility … I think they should have considered trying to advise people to merge earlier into the vehicle lane so that wasn’t a quick move that was putting them into conflict with drivers.” 

Have an example of citizens tackling a community issue? Send it to us at tips@billypenn.com.

Staffers from Councilmember Jamie Gauthier’s office told West Philly Local last month that they’d bring the concerns to the Streets Department, but did not respond to Billy Penn’s request for an update. The ditch is still open, and one of the signs the resident posted is still up.

November also saw South Philly resident Max Goldberg, who lives next to a SEPTA bus stop, program an old digital alarm clock to tell riders when the next bus will come, as reported by The  Inquirer. He posted about it on Reddit, where commenters were soon given the code to recreate it. 

Interestingly, Wermer-Colan said that PCW knows of Goldberg’s sign. Though no plans have been made, the organization has thought about how it could implement more of those signs on a larger scale, likely by providing the Internet connection the project requires. That would be part of what’s called the “Internet of things,” meaning objects that can only function when brought online. 

“The bus monitor was one of the best examples I’ve seen in a while of an idea that is simple, is useful, and would work really well with our infrastructure,” Wermer-Colan said. “I think there’s a whole range of tactical urbanisms that specifically are only possible if you have public Internet.”