Political Science Professor, Author, and Urban Planner

Philip Mark Plotch is currently the principal researcher at the Eno Center for Transportation (a non-profit independent think tank based in Washington, D.C.) and a fellow at New York University. In 2021, he was a U.S. Fulbright Scholar and visiting professor at Sogang University in Seoul, South Korea. 

Dr. Plotch's research into the politics and planning behind large transportation projects has explored the obstacles that lead to lengthy delays and the steps that can be taken to overcome them. His most recent book, Mobilizing the Metropolis, reveals how public agencies can create and leverage coaltions to achieve their coals. Plotch's insights are helping to improve public transportation, promote environmentally sustainable growth, and overcome the deep distrust and cynicism about government’s ability to solve society’s problems. 

Dr. Plotch has been an associate professor and director of a Master of Public Administration program. He has also 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.

He 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.  In 2023, the University of Michigan Press released Mobilizing the Metropolis.