10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania is an alliance of organizations and individuals from across the state who are committed to land use policies and actions that will enable Pennsylvania to strengthen its diverse urban, suburban, and rural communities and reduce sprawl.  10,000 Friends seeks development that will support the social and economic viability of Pennsylvania's cities and towns, protect environmental quality, conserve fiscal resources, and preserve our state's exceptional rural and heritage resources. 

10,000 Friends was established to cultivate a statewide voice on land use issues, ranging from specific legislative initiatives to housing, transportation, infrastructure, and the conservation of rural, heritage, and natural resources, and to develop communication and education programs around the Commonwealth that focus on these issues. Our principles have been endorsed by 310 organizations representing over 300,000 Pennsylvanians.

Our main office is in Center City, Philadelphia. Legislative and advocacy efforts are centered in our Harrisburg office. In August, 2004, we opened a Pittsburgh office.

Policy and Legislation

• Drafted language and built the constituency to pass legislation amending the state land use law to encourage integrated county and multi-municipal land use planning and implementation; over 600 municipalities are now taking advantage of these new tools;
• Sparked PA Department of Education to change school construction funding policies to encourage rehabilitation of existing buildings instead of favoring building new schools in undeveloped areas;
• With coalition partners, helped to pass Growing Greener, the bond issue to fund farmland preservation, open space protection and environmental clean up.
• Helped pass legislation to encourage the location of state facilities in downtowns;
• Helped pass legislation to protect conservation and preservation easements;
• Partnered with the Pennsylvania Economy League and The Reinvestment Fund to create the Metropolitan Philadelphia Policy Center, whose publication, Flight or Fight, led to the adoption of the wage tax reduction by the City of Philadelphia in 2004.

Research

• Published a comprehensive study on the costs of sprawl in Pennsylvania, released in January, 2000
• Initiated comprehensive study of the relationship between sewer facilities planning, regulation, and implementation and land use and development patterns released in 2005;
• Developed spatial analysis of state highway and bridge funding to understand the role of state transportation funding on land development and community revitalization.
• Published Revitalizing Our Small Cities and Boroughs, a white paper examining the barriers to redevelopment in Southeastern Pennsylvania’s smaller older communities and recommending policy solutions

Communicating and Encouraging Smart Growth

• Published Planning Beyond Boundaries, a comprehensive tool for regional planning and implementation;
• Established the Commonwealth Design Award, now in its third year, to encourage and promote smart growth development plans and projects in Pennsylvania.
• Partnered with the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program to develop and disseminate their 2003 Pennsylvania report, Back to Prosperity: A Competitive Agenda for Renewing Pennsylvania.

Legal

• Submitted an amicus brief in the Dolington Land Group and Toll Bros., Inc. Appeal to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, one of the first cases addressing the Municipalities Planning Code since the adoption of Acts 67 and 68 in June 2000. This was a critical and successful opportunity to weigh in on behalf of multi-municipal planning and zoning and the preservation of agricultural land. 

Bringing Back Our Cities and Towns

Our work on the rehab code, housing and vacant property, and the nascent Campaign to Renew Pennsylvania will focus on policies and tools to support revitalization of Pennsylvania’s older communities through housing rehabilitation and redevelopment.

Teaching and Encouraging Smart Growth

Our work on multi-municipal planning and implementation, and encouraging smart growth development projects, will support sound land use planning and implementation throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania by promoting tools and solutions to regional land use and governance issues.

Protecting Rural Resources

Finally, our work with the agriculture community and local governments will provide new tools and models to support rural agricultural economies in ways that protect the environment and quality of life in surrounding communities.

Research for Better Policy Solutions

Our research and communications on targeting state spending will support both objectives as we try to influence investments and other decisions at the state level that impact land use and community development on the ground.

10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania is an IRS-approved 501(c)(3) organization and is funded primarily through contributions from private foundations and individual donors.