Philadelphia's Chinatown leaders are ramping up efforts to ensure they have a seat at the table as plans progress to build a new Sixers arena in the neighboring Fashion District.

Driving the news: Four groups in Chinatown last week formed a committee to review the potential impact that the proposed $1.3 billion development at 10th and Market Streets might have.

Why it matters: Chinatown lacks affordable housing and public spaces, and many businesses are still struggling to recover from the pandemic, the new committee's members wrote in Metro Chinese Weekly, per the Philadelphia Inquirer.

• They want to ensure the project doesn't make their cultural and business hub less safe, or drive people out.

Catch up fast: Since announcing the stadium proposal in July, real-estate magnate David Adelman, who's the 76ers' point man on the project, and other team leaders have held community information sessions.

• In November, more than 200 Philadelphia Chinese Community Organization United members gathered with Sixers leadership to discuss the plan. That same month, hundreds of community members and students protested against the development.
• Sixers leaders have shared plans to fund studies into some of the concerns and asked the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation (PCDC) to set up a steering committee to work through solutions, the Inquirer reported. The PCDC's executive director, John Chin, is one of the newly formed committee's leaders.

What they're saying: Dan Tsao, who owns Metro Chinese Weekly and co-chairs the new committee, tells Axios the group won't endorse or oppose the project until they better understand the possible implications and benefits for the neighborhood.

• "It's a double-edged sword. One edge can help you, the other edge can hurt you," he said. "We want to listen and hear what the 76ers have to offer."

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Former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter wants to get "s--t done" on the airwaves.

Driving the news: Nutter is joining ex-Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed in hosting the Philadelphia Citizen's new podcast "How to Really Run a City," which launched on Friday.

What to expect: The duo will share no-holds-barred takes on issues ranging from solving crime to fixing roads, like this comment from Nutter during a conversation that helped inspire the podcast: "There's no conservative or progressive way to fix a pothole. You just have to fix the f--king pothole."

• They'll have regular guests who dish expertise on everything from economic redevelopment to poverty and gun violence. Last week's first episode featured Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf.

What they're saying: Philadelphia Citizen founder and newspaperman Larry Platt said the idea came from a "freewheeling, thought-provoking discussion" between the ex-mayors at their annual Ideas We Should Steal Festival.

• "Mayors have always shaped their local zeitgeist, and cities have long adopted the personalities of their mayors," he wrote.

👋 Alexa here. Stopping by to share my most prized gifts this holiday season: these hoagie ornaments.

Where I found them: Thank my hungry heart. I stopped by Middle Child for lunch this weekend to discover their shelves are full of holiday decor and other home goods from vintage shop Betsu Studio.

• It's part of a pop-up running through Christmas (or until all items sell out)!

🎁 Tell us: What are your favorite spots to shop local for holiday gifts? We're compiling a list! Hit reply.

📞 Free public phones appear to be coming to Philadelphia streets. PhilTel, a volunteer group, aims to set up its first free-to-use public phone outside Iffy Books in Center City this month, with the goal of eventually setting up phones in every neighborhood. (CNN)

🚫 The University of Pennsylvania's law school joined a growing revolt against the U.S. News & World Report rankings on Friday by refusing to participate. Other top-tier law schools that are part of the boycott include Yale and Harvard. (The Washington Post)

⚖️ District Attorney Larry Krasner is suing Republican state Senate leaders in an attempt to derail the impending impeachment trial that could boot him from office. The progressive Democrat argues the General Assembly lacks the authority to impeach and remove him. (NBC10)

🗳 West Philly state representative Amen Brown is expected to announce his bid for mayor this week. New York real estate developer Marty Burger, a Democrat who's pledged to support Brown, revealed Brown's candidacy at a Pennsylvania Society event in Manhattan over the weekend. (Inquirer)

📺 Price hikes are coming to many Comcast TV and internet customers this month due to higher television broadcast fees. (Philly Voice)

💼 Check out who's hiring around the city.

1. District Manager at Insomnia Cookies.
2. Financial Consultant, Metro Philadelphia Area at Santander.
3. CEO Through Acquisition North America Q1 2023 at Novastone Capital Advisors.

Want more opportunities? Check out our Job Board.

Hiring? Post a Job.

If you needed another reminder that the holiday season is in full swing, tree lighting celebrations were held across the city this weekend.

By the numbers: Outside City Hall, Philadelphia's Christmas tree, a 55-foot-tall white fir, features 4,000 lights, per WHYY.

• At Penn's Landing, the Delaware River Waterfront tree stands 37 feet tall with thousands of lights.

✨ Go deeper: 5 best holiday light displays in Philly