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Daniel Pearson

@dpearsonphl.bsky.social

I’m an editorial writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer focused on urban policy-transit, housing, and planning

2,217 Followers  |  233 Following  |  202 Posts  |  Joined: 17.07.2023  |  2.0033

Latest posts by dpearsonphl.bsky.social on Bluesky

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A video of ICE agents apparently killing a man, shooting him several times while he's on the ground. They run away from his corpse.

24.01.2026 15:54 — 👍 231    🔁 164    💬 33    📌 73
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The U.S. must support Ukraine in peace deal, not help fulfill Putin’s wish list | Editorial The Trump administration must not force Kyiv to capitulate to a Kremlin-friendly peace plan.

The United States has never offered Ukrainians the support they need to maintain their freedom. Now we are threatening to take even our current inadequate support away.

www.inquirer.com/opinion/edit...

25.11.2025 15:55 — 👍 10    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
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While some pay for police, others are getting a free ride | Shackamaxon When it comes to paying for public safety, City Council members, favored community groups, and some of Pennsylvania’s towns and villages are getting an absolute bargain.

Public safety costs must be shared more evenly.

www.inquirer.com/opinion/even...

21.11.2025 16:13 — 👍 6    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 0
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The killing of Kada Scott ratchets up a clash over development in Germantown | Shackamaxon Did a City Council member block the sale of a vacant school building where the body of the 23-year-old recent college graduate was later found?

www.inquirer.com/opinion/cind...

14.11.2025 16:06 — 👍 7    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

That’s what I want for the market east zone

09.11.2025 00:02 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Local progressives hated the abatement

08.11.2025 22:04 — 👍 4    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

And it was local progressives who killed it!

08.11.2025 22:04 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

That is fascinating and they really should have, y'know, told people this.

07.11.2025 18:17 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0
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The weight of history falls on Philly neighbors and museum’s CEO | Shackamaxon Historic district neighbors find it hard to change, while Philadelphia Museum of Art CEO Sasha Suda is out after she changed too much.

This week's column is about balancing the legacy of the past with the needs of the present.

www.inquirer.com/opinion/edit...

07.11.2025 15:18 — 👍 11    🔁 1    💬 3    📌 0

Great density, horrible double-loaded corridor floorplan. Imagine how much better this could be as an ensemble of single-stair buildings with more height allowed away from the street

06.11.2025 19:39 — 👍 14    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

Rubio. If he picks him early he might avoid having a seriously contested primary altogether.

04.11.2025 14:48 — 👍 13    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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For Philly’s Greyhound bus terminal, the best way forward is by going in reverse | Editorial It's been a long wait, but intercity bus riders may soon have a safe, accessible — and very familiar — terminal housed in the former space Greyhound occupied at 10th and Filbert Streets.

City Council should approve the new bus terminal, and bring an end to the long saga for riders.

www.inquirer.com/opinion/edit...

04.11.2025 14:15 — 👍 12    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

This is great for Chicago, but as someone from a state that has not only failed to fund transit but also postponed any discussion of it until 2027, it hurts.

31.10.2025 13:46 — 👍 21    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

If SEPTA and the Gov had proposed it, they would have rightly called it irresponsible.

31.10.2025 13:45 — 👍 3    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0
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Sean Duffy has the right message about SEPTA’s woes, but addresses it to the wrong people | Shackamaxon It's not SEPTA leadership or Gov. Shapiro who needs to hear from the transportation secretary, but those who've stood in the way of sustainable transit funding. Are you listening, Joe Pittman?

Given the capital raid was devised by the State Senate Republicans, Sean Duffy should have sent them this letter.

www.inquirer.com/opinion/sean...

31.10.2025 13:20 — 👍 7    🔁 2    💬 1    📌 1
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East Market Street needs smart new development, not another ‘Disney Hole’ | Editorial There is opportunity for growth as the Sixers and Comcast move to demolish two blocks of mostly vacant storefronts across from the Fashion District.

Philadelphia won't lose much when the Sixers and Comcast demo some vacant storefronts along Market Street. But action must be taken to ensure that we don't end up with another Disney hole. The real answer isn't planning, but getting our local economy humming again.
www.inquirer.com/opinion/edit...

30.10.2025 12:32 — 👍 12    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0
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Parker’s Land Bank shakeup may lead to more affordable housing | Shackamaxon In this week's column, a deep dive into city land sale dysfunction and the continuing budget woes in Harrisburg.

www.inquirer.com/opinion/land...

24.10.2025 13:46 — 👍 6    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
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Fewer killings, more homicide cases solved is good news for Philadelphia | Editorial Improvement is undeniable, but there is still much more to be done, as the city's homicide rate remains higher than that of New York or Boston.

www.inquirer.com/opinion/edit...

23.10.2025 14:15 — 👍 8    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

The muncipal political parties might be the secret of Montréal's success. Candidates are campaigning on issues they actually control, like bike and bus lanes, rather than ones they don't, like Healthcare policy.

17.10.2025 23:33 — 👍 16    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 0

What Philadelphia can take from Montreal — including a mention of local political parties.

“In Montreal, however, voters have a real choice. They even have municipal political parties, meaning voters have to form their own opinions about local issues.”

17.10.2025 15:23 — 👍 55    🔁 3    💬 1    📌 1
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Why Philly should try to mimic a city up north | Shackamaxon Unlike too many in Philadelphia, Montreal’s leaders embrace being a city, rather than trying to plug their square suburban preferences into a round metropolitan hole.

www.inquirer.com/opinion/mont...

17.10.2025 14:42 — 👍 13    🔁 3    💬 0    📌 3

More people should understand that this is standard practice in American urban planning. The zoning on paper is not a real plan for growth, it's the opening bid in a highly politicized negotiation between home builders, elected officials, and activists with the power to kill projects.

16.10.2025 17:47 — 👍 138    🔁 16    💬 2    📌 2
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No bike lane from Jeffery Young; no state budget from Kim Ward | Shackamaxon In this week's column, Jeffery “Jay” Young takes councilmanic prerogative to new lows, NYC outdoes Philly, and Kim Ward dumps the budget for the Emerald Isle.

www.inquirer.com/opinion/jay-...

11.10.2025 02:05 — 👍 10    🔁 2    💬 1    📌 1
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Welcome to Shackamaxon, a new column about government and politics | Daniel Pearson Named for the site where Lenape chiefs would meet to settle disputes, Shackamaxon, by The Inquirer's Daniel Pearson, offers viewpoints on the work of elected officials in Philadelphia and Harrisburg.

www.inquirer.com/opinion/poli...

28.09.2025 14:54 — 👍 13    🔁 0    💬 2    📌 1
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No Such Thing as a Free Bus How I'm thinking about Zohran Mamdani's fare-free bus proposal

Okay now that I've celebrated Mamdani's win, and now that it looks unlikely he'll face any real trouble in the general, I'm going to re-up my concerns about his free bus proposal and cross my fingers that he gets some good advice as mayor. publiccomment.blog/p/no-such-th...

25.06.2025 13:30 — 👍 83    🔁 7    💬 9    📌 10
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I wouldn’t be here without public transit | Opinion While my family owns a car, we don’t rely on it. From my experiences, I know that the kind of freedom public transit offers is just as vital as the thrill of of the driver’s seat I craved as a boy.

www.inquirer.com/opinion/sept...

20.06.2025 16:52 — 👍 34    🔁 5    💬 0    📌 1

Great post from @dpearsonphl.bsky.social

20.06.2025 16:58 — 👍 11    🔁 3    💬 0    📌 0

those are op-eds from guest contributors.

04.06.2025 03:54 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

They got laid off

04.06.2025 02:20 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

I think the closest thing to this is the Philadelphia @inquirer.com

04.06.2025 01:17 — 👍 91    🔁 14    💬 2    📌 2

@dpearsonphl is following 20 prominent accounts