10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania

Mission: 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania champions responsible land use, attainable housing, and efficient transportation systems through the lens of smart growth and resilience. We bring citizens, service providers, and subject matter experts from the public and private sectors together with policymakers to identify barriers and find common sense solutions to complex issues that strengthen our economy, protect our resources, save money, and build healthy and walkable communities for all.

Vision: 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania envisions a Commonwealth with a great variety of quality places in which to live and work; where natural resources are respected and used wisely; where the infrastructure is strong, safe and supports sensible development; where the built environment is planned for resiliency and economic competitiveness; where governments work together to allocate and share resources and deliver public services effectively, equitably and efficiently; where residents value their communities, find opportunity, and share the benefits of Pennsylvania's commitment to competitiveness through strategic investment and sustainable growth.

Our Values

Expertise

Collaboration

Equity

Transparency

Bipartisanship

10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania builds healthy, vibrant, and resilient communities. We convene thought leaders, residents, organizations, and policymakers to identify effective solutions and develop balanced land use, housing, and transportation policy at all levels of government. We help communities understand the impact of state and local policies on their bottom line and work to ensure that growth is planned in sustainable development patterns.

We convene the PA Housing Choices Coalition, a statewide coalition of 40+ state and local community groups and leaders coming together to support bipartisan statewide legislation that will allow more housing choices, making our cities and towns more affordable for all Pennsylvanians. Coalition partners work collaboratively to increase awareness of successful policy solutions and resources needed to address the housing crisis, increase the range of home types and sizes in growing areas and preserve existing homes across Pennsylvania.

Our collaborative community development initiative helps older neighborhoods and their residents by eliminating blight, affordable housing and home repairs, supporting youth with active recreation opportunities, building community connections and mobility, providing access to fresh produce and food, and investing in local organizations and small businesses. By piloting these strategies successfully on the ground, we can better develop viable public policy solutions for community development and advocate for them at local, state, and federal levels.