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

Eight More Effective Strategies to Improve Retail at Transit Stations (Part 2)

July 21, 2023 - Last week, Eno Transportation Weekly identified seven effective strategies to improve retail spaces in train and bus stations. Here are eight more equally effective strategies to improve retail spaces in train...

Seven Effective Strategies to Improve Retail at Transit Stations (Part 1)

July 14, 2023 - The retail landscape has rapidly changed due to the decline in transit ridership and a shift towards online purchasing. The increasing number of retail vacancies at stations is disconcerting to transit...

Media Mentions & Commentary

NorthJersey.com|September 28, 2023|Buses, Public transit

Struggling Private Bus Companies are Abandoning Commuter Service. Can NJ Transit Step In?

Philip Plotch, the principal researcher at the Eno Center for Transportation and a Fair Lawn resident, said what’s happening now with the private bus operations is not so much a case of “history repeating itself,”...

Bloomberg|July 26, 2023|Congestion Pricing, Infrastructure, Public transit

New Jersey Drivers Deserve a Break on Congestion Pricing

"'Politically what makes sense is money that is being paid by these New Jersey residents should go to improve transit services between the two states,' said Philip Plotch, principal researcher at the Washington-based Eno Center...