Meet Fast Forward Presenter >> Dave Brindley

What is your Big Idea for Philadelphia?

Philly: A city where you can get away with a lot of civic innovation

What will you do living in a city where you can get away with a lot of innovation? This is kind of a backhanded compliment to our home.

You can get away with a lot because there are gaps between what the city should look like and what our city does. There are a lot of issues and the city government does not have the personal, resources, or even competency to notice the bad and the good out there.

As I built unsanctioned bike lanes and then an anti-litter initiative, I learned that there are opportunities to unofficially do good in our city. In UCity, I turned a bike lane that was constantly clogged with parked cars into the most used protected bike lane in the city. It has lasted for 3 years, with the police even thinking it is their idea now. NotinPhilly.org is the first map-enabled adopt-a-block site with over 900 citizens who have pledged to clean their block.

As a non-profit, for-profit, or an individual citizen, we can leverage the energy of out citizens and our vibrant media scene to see the change we dream of come to life.

dave.brindley(at)cru.org
notinphilly.org
Instagram @notinphilly

 Dave Brindley brings people together to solve problems. Professionally, he is the Collaboration Director for Cru City, connecting neighborhood churches to serve their local public school. Also, working with Code for Philly and Think Company, he launched the anti-litter site Not in Philly. This is the first map-enabled, adopt-a-block site in the country, with over 900 people members in their first year. He has been known to advocate for and install his own protected bike lanes in West Philadelphia.