Philip Mark Plotch

Philip Mark Plotch

Philip Mark Plotch, PhD is the Principal Researcher at the Eno Center for Transportation. In this role, he conducts timely policy research and expert analysis across a broad spectrum of projects; he is also a critical sounding board on Eno work products.

Dr. Plotch has played a leading role in improving the New York metropolitan area’s infrastructure. As the director of World Trade Center Redevelopment and Special Projects at the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, he helped lead the nation’s effort to rebuild Lower Manhattan after the attacks of September 11, 2001. In his previous positions as manager of planning and manager of policy at the headquarters of New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority, he planned multibillion-dollar projects, developed emergency response procedures, and created strategic business plans. More recently, he was a professor of political science and the director of a master of public administration program at Saint Peter’s University, as well as a U.S. Fulbright Scholar and visiting professor at Sogang University in South Korea.

Dr. Plotch’s research into the planning of large transportation projects has explored the obstacles that lead to lengthy delays and the steps that can be taken to overcome them. He is the author of two highly acclaimed books: Politics Across the Hudson: The Tappan Zee Megaproject (published by Rutgers University Press) and Last Subway: The Long Wait for the Next Train in New York (published by Cornell University Press).

Dr. Plotch received his bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Albany, master’s degree in urban planning from Hunter College, and PhD in public and urban policy from the Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy at the New School for Public Engagement.

Eno Transportation Weekly Articles

Congestion Pricing

Point-Counterpoint: New York vs New Jersey on Congestion Pricing in Manhattan

May 26,2023 A battle is brewing across the Hudson River and in the halls of Congress between New York and New Jersey. In 2019, when the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) was facing huge funding gaps in...
Amtrak,Commuter Rail,Infrastructure,Railroads

Celebrating a Visionary with an Update on a New Hudson River Rail Tunnel

May 12,2023 The Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center celebrated its 25th anniversary this month with remembrances of a transportation visionary along with an update on the Gateway Program (one of the most...
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Media Mentions & Commentary

InTransition Magazine |
November 14,2022 | Public transit,Workforce

Transit Agencies Struggle Amid Commuting Patterns Still in Flux

“For Philip Plotch, principal researcher at the Washington, D.C.-based Eno Center for Transportation, the more important question is what exactly is post-pandemic? ‘When is the new normal kicking in?’ Surveys of employers are consistently overestimating how many people are coming back and how often. ‘Agencies are a little skeptical of the numbers because employers have […]
The Morning Call |
October 28,2022 | Buses,Public transit,Workforce

Stuck in New York: Driver Shortages and Other Factors Leaving Some Lehigh Valley Bus Riders Stranded and Frustrated

“A lot of these bus operators can’t provide the service that they want to provide,” said Philip Plotch, a researcher at the Eno Center for Transportation in Washington, a nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank. “During the pandemic it wasn’t as much of an issue, because ridership was down, but as we’re coming out of the pandemic, […]
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