Just how does public transit enrich a city? On Thursday, March 5, the Metropolitan College City Planning & Urban Affairs (CPUA) programs, the BU Initiative on Cities, and the student-run Urban Planning Association hosted Phil Eng—MBTA general manager and interim Massachusetts secretary of transportation—for a lively “fireside” conversation that sought to unearth some of the answers. Held at the Kilachand Center, this student-centric discussion touched on the ways public transit shapes urban lives and those who work, live in, and visit cities—with Boston serving as the main example.
Eng, a career civil engineer who’s long worked as a leader for transit authorities and a loyal MBTA rider, has earned national recognition for his swift, transparent, and results-driven leadership, and is credited with eliminating long-standing slow zones across the MBTA subway system. Prior to his time with the MBTA, he served as president of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) Long Island Rail Road and interim president of New York City Transit. Eng has been motivated, he says, out of a desire to enact positive change, saying, “Public service is something you get into because you want to make a difference.” He also posed a hypothetical question that got at the heart of the challenge of improving existing infrastructure: “How do you ride the bicycle and change the tire at the same time?”
Eng was joined by Briette Brightman, a student in the MS in City Planning program and recent MBTA intern, who served as moderator alongside CPUA Lecturer Terry Regan. Brightman, also the vice president of the of the BU Urban Planning Association, credited the internship with altering the course of her career ambitions. “I realized that public transportation is truly the backbone of an equitable and functioning city,” she said. “I began to learn more about the field and decided to stay in the public sector, specifically in transportation, working to ensure that our services are safe, reliable, and accessible to people across the Commonwealth.”
Answering a range of questions pertaining to sustainability, community engagement, and outreach to historically underserved communities, Eng characterized success as being predicated on relationships and partnerships. He also told the students in attendance that the further they advance in their careers, the more they can make decisions and set policies that change lives and communities.
Eng also offered a unique perspective on the role of public grousing in transit work. “You should accept public complaints as a gift, no matter how it comes across,” he said.
Above photos, taken by Onjoli Palmer, appear courtesy of the BU Initiative on Cities.
Read more at the BU Initiative on Cities.