StreetSmartPHL turns routine city operations into information residents can check on a map. Run by the City of Philadelphia’s Streets Department, the platform brings together updates on paving, permitted street work and closures, trash and recycling collection, and snow plowing. Its four components are PavePHL, PermitPHL, PickupPHL and PlowPHL.7
The service grew in stages. In June 2020, the city was already directing residents to PavePHL for updates on paving work.11 In February 2021, Philadelphia launched PlowPHL, described as the final phase of the StreetSmartPHL platform. During snow events, residents can enter an address to see whether a block is expected to be treated, whether it has been treated, and how recently; the map also provides snow-operation updates and a way to submit a report to 311.7
The platform draws on GPS devices installed in most city vehicles, with portable devices used in vehicles without hard-wired GPS. At the time of the 2021 launch, the map refreshed every 30 minutes, and the city said it had been designed, built and maintained by in-house IT staff.7 A later account of the city’s mapping work describes GPS coordinates from more than 2,000 public-works vehicles being used to locate vehicles by block, helping answer questions about plowing and trash collection.2 StreetSmartPHL’s broader purpose is to make service activity more visible to residents and support the Streets Department’s operational work.79