The Weekly Wrap: 76ers Drop Controversial Philly Stadium Plan

Welcome back to The Weekly Wrap, our Friday roundup of stories that explain the problems oppressing people in cities and elevate the solutions that bring us closer to economic, environmental and social justice. If you enjoy this newsletter, share it with a friend or colleague and tell them to subscribe.

Philadelphia Sixers Abandon Center City Arena Plan

In a major 180, Philadelphia’s 76ers have negotiated a deal with their landlord, Comcast Spectacor, to remain in their South Philly sports complex and build a new arena there, The Inquirer reports. That means the team is dropping a highly-controversial plan to build a $1.3 billion arena in the downtown Market East business corridor, abutting the city’s vulnerable Chinatown.

Facing vocal opposition from Chinatown residents and activists, the Sixers had spent millions of dollars to lobby city officials and residents in the two years since the Market East arena project was first proposed. Days before the holidays, city council and Mayor Cherelle Parker had authorized the project. “This is a curveball that none of us saw coming,” Parker said.

Connecticut Tenant ‘Right to Counsel’ Initiative Saved the State $36 Million

Launched in 2022 with $20 million from the American Rescue Plan Act, Connecticut’s right-to-counsel program provided legal aid to close to 5,500 households and helped thousands avoid homelessness, the CT Mirror reports.

In doing so, Connecticut saved about $36.6 million between January 2022 and November 2024 that it would have spent on social services including emergency shelter services and foster care placements. But the ARPA dollars will run out this year and could mean the program’s end.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia this week announced an expansion of its own highly-successful right-to-counsel program, which provided legal aid to 1,564 households in its third year. The city now offers low-income renters facing eviction free legal representation in eight zip codes.

Long-Awaited Gaza Ceasefire Deal Reached

After 15 months of U.S.-backed Israeli genocide in Gaza and repeated attempts at peace negotiations, Qatari officials announced this week that they had successfully brokered a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel. The Israeli security cabinet also voted Friday to approve the deal.

The three-phase deal, set to begin on Sunday, is expected to temporarily pause the war and release 33 Israeli hostages and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. On the 16th day of the ceasefire, negotiations to reach the second and third phases would commence.

The fragile agreement was reached under pressure from President-elect Donald Trump, who is set to return to the Oval Office on Jan. 20 and who had been privately speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for months.

At least 46,876 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military since Oct. 7, 2023, according to the under-resourced Gaza Health Ministry – plus 116 killed since the ceasefire’s announced in what Hamas has called a “deliberate intensification” of bombings to thwart the deal. A new independent analysis suggests the death toll is likely 40% higher than originally reported.

Louisiana Sweeps Homeless Encampment Ahead of Super Bowl

With New Orleans set to host the Super Bowl on Feb. 9, Louisiana state authorities are clearing out homeless populations from a former state-sanctioned encampment around the Superdome, Verite News reports. The move comes just a week after Louisiana’s Supreme Court overturned a restraining order barring state police from sweeping New Orleans homeless encampments.

About 100 individuals have been bussed to a temporary warehouse, called a “transitional center,” which costs the state an estimated $16.2 million to operate for 90 days, the AP reports. City officials say the state-led sweeps hinder New Orleans’ lauded homelessness strategy, which has successfully closed multiple encampments by providing long-term housing and social services to residents.

Report Finds No Private, Safe & Efficient Financial Tool for Mutual Aid Funds

A new audit of current financial privacy technologies available to mutual aid organizations, published by the tech policy activist organization Fight For The Future, offers an assessment of how effectively fintech services protect users’ security while making payments abortion funds, bail funds and other politically-sensitive mutual aid operations. Researchers found that several cryptocurrency tools have the strongest potential to protect users’ confidentiality, but serious usability and accessibility issues hinder their effectiveness.

MORE NEWS

• Big oil pushed to kill bill that would have made them pay for wildfire disasters. The Guardian

• Rural areas got millions in state fire prevention funds over parts of L.A. that burned. L.A. Times.

• It’s working: Initial data show NYC congestion pricing has stemmed the tide of years of increasing traffic. Streetsblog NYC

• More than $1.5 billion in stolen wages recovered for workers between 2021 and 2023. EPI

• New studies show no downsides for bicycle safety stop. StreetsBlog Cal

• ‘Office to Anything’: D.C. launches program to turn empty offices into new businesses. WJLA

• The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau sues Capital One for cheating consumers out of more than $2 billion. CFPB

OPPORTUNITIES & RESOURCES

• DEADLINE TODAY: The Out(sider) Preservation Initiative is considering grant proposals for descendant-led projects that lead to diasporic return and increased public interest in historically Black settlements. Apply by Jan. 17.

• The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) has launched its revised Urban Bikeway Design Guide.

• Project for Public Spaces is considering applications for its Community Placemaking Grants. Nonprofits, public agencies and municipalities in Georgia, Michigan, New York, Ohio, and Texas can apply for funding to transform outdoor public spaces into lively community hubs that improve street safety and mobility. Apply by Jan. 31.

• Los Angeles Public Library’s Creators in Residence program is considering applications from “creators from a wide range of disciplines.” Apply by Jan. 31.

• The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is awarding grants to organizations and communities who are actively reimagining land use and zoning as tools to advance health equity. (Disclosure: RWJF is a current funder of Next City.) Apply by Feb. 6.

• The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and Claremont Lincoln University are seeking a new cohort of fellows for the Lincoln Vibrant Communities initiative. Apply by Feb. 18.

• AARP is accepting applications for this year’s Community Challenge Grant Program for projects that help make communities more livable for people of all ages. Apply by March 5.

• The Mellon Foundation is offering general operating support for community-based archives in the U.S. and its territories. Apply by March 12.

• Check out Next City’s jobs board for new opportunities.

EVENTS

• Wednesday, Jan. 22 at 6 p.m. Eastern: The Black Planners Collective, organized by planner Desiree Powell, is hosting another virtual gathering space for Black urban planners to build community.

• Wednesday, Jan. 29 at 1:30 p.m. Eastern: Urban Land Institute is hosting a virtual panel on how California is collecting and applying demographic data to advance health equity in California and what other states can learn from its experience.