How Transit Enriches a City: A Fireside Chat with MBTA General Manager and Interim Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation Phil Eng

The Boston University Initiative on Cities, City Planning & Urban Affairs Program, and the Urban Planning Association are delighted to welcome the General Manager of the MBTA and interim Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation Phil Eng to campus for a student-focused fireside chat exploring how public transit shapes urban life for those who live, work, and visit cities, with a focus on the Boston region and the MBTA. A career civil engineer with decades of experience working in and leading major transit authorities—and a daily MBTA rider himself—General Manager/Secretary Eng has garnered national attention for his swift, transparent, and results-driven leadership, including his decisive efforts to eliminate long-standing slow zones across the MBTA subway system. This event will require an RSVP, with priority spots going to Boston University students and affiliates. Non-affiliates are invited to join the waitlist by completing the form below; we will prompt you to register a week before the event, pending availability

Register by: 3/2/2026
When 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm on 5 March 2026
Building 610 Commonwealth Avenue
Room Rajen Kilachand Center Eichenbaum Colloquium Room, 1st Floor
Phone 617-358-8080
Contact Email ioc@bu.edu
Contact Organization Boston University Initiative on Cities
Fees free
Open To public
Speakers MBTA General Manager and Interim Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation Phil Eng