Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission

Join WTS Philadelphia on Wednesday, January 15, for “Walk, Ride, and Thrive: Navigating Philadelphia’s Streets Together!” The panel discussion will dive into the policies and legislation driving safer streets for pedestrians and cyclists in Philadelphia. Hear from Jennifer Dougherty, AICP, Manager of Long-Range Planning, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), and Steering Committee Chair, Feet First Philly; Nate Hommel, ASLA, Director of Planning and Design, University City District; Waffiyyah Murray, Indego Program Manager, City of Philadelphia, OTIS; and Kelley Yemen, AICP, Director, Office of Multimodal Planning, City of Philadelphia, OTIS. The conversation will be moderated by DVRPC’s Amy Bernknopf, Manager, Office of Transit, Bicycle, and Pedestrian Planning. Learn more and register: https://lnkd.in/eN6ywE64

DVRPC mourns the loss of John Coscia, DVRPC’s former Executive Director, who passed away on Sunday, December 15, 2024. Mr. Coscia started at DVRPC as an environmental engineer in 1968 and became one of only five Executive Directors in DVRPC’s nearly 60 year history. Learn more: https://buff.ly/3DDhkaN

There’s still time to make a public comment on the Draft FY26 Work Program! The public comment period closes at 5 pm on Tuesday, January 7. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/ehQzNuMc Photo: Spencer K. Gober, DVRPC

DVRPC’s christopher pollard recently joined Amped Up, a podcast from the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations, to discuss geospatial mapping and data. Listen to the episode: https://lnkd.in/ekJ54-XP

For summer 2025, DVRPC will be hosting a University of New Hampshire (UNH) Sustainability Fellow to assist the Office of Sustainable Energy on a project related to Thermal Energy Networks (TENs). Applications are due February 9, 2025. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eg4VFCsz

We’re hiring! DVRPC recently listed openings for a Public Participation Planner and a Senior Transportation Planner/Senior Transportation Engineer. Learn more about these and other current opportunities: https://lnkd.in/eh-GYkgj

Newly released Air Quality data from the Environmental Protection Agency shows that poor air quality days in the region increased substantially in 2023, due in part to smoke from Canadian wildfires that summer. Explore the region’s air quality data in DVRPC’s Tracking Progress: https://lnkd.in/eEXqmJev #TrackingTuesday

Earlier this month the Chinatown Stitch received the “Philadelphia Award” at the WTS Philadelphia Annual Awards Gala. This collaborative project included the City of Philadelphia Office of Transportation Infrastructure and Systems (OTIS), Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation, McCormick Taylor, and DVRPC. Congratulations to the DVRPC staff who contributed modeling and planning work, and advised and supported communications and public engagement efforts: Thom Stead, Kelsey McElduff, Sarah Moran, Gina Myers, Amy Solano, and Elise A. Turner, MPA, as well as other staff members who supported the various outreach activities throughout the process! And congratulations to all the other award winners that night and to WTS Philadelphia for celebrating 45 years! Photo: Christina Arlt

Q: How did you end up at DVRPC? A: I was a high school teacher in Arizona for 11 years. When my wife and I moved back east in 2015, I switched careers, and DVRPC hired me as an intern. Thirty-four years old; new dad; intern. Great for LinkedIn. Earlier this month, our December newsletter hit inboxes and included a staff spotlight on Justin Neff, Manager of the Traffic Management Program. Get to know Justin: https://lnkd.in/e3x3Rv2u

Earlier this month, the DVRPC Board voted to award $12.253 million to five local projects in New Jersey through the Regional Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program (TASA). The federal program funds community-based "non-traditional" projects designed to strengthen the cultural, aesthetic, and environmental aspects of the nation's intermodal transportation system. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eCqfDjHU Photo: Andrew Svekla, DVRPC