Episode 4: Tom Wright Journeys: A Transportation Podcast

In our fourth episode, we are joined by Tom Wright. Tom is the president and chief executive officer of the Regional Plan Association (RPA), the nation’s oldest independent metropolitan research, planning, and advocacy organization. He is a frequent public speaker and commentator on regional governance, economic growth and development, transit investments, and other policy issues. In his  20+ years with RPA, he has participated in many key initiatives, including the historic Civic Alliance to Rebuild Downtown New York following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks; the campaign to create a mixed-use district at Manhattan’s Hudson Yards; the protection of the New Jersey Highlands; and a vision plan for the City of Newark. Previously, Tom was deputy executive director of the New Jersey Office of State Planning, where he coordinated the production of the New Jersey State Development and Redevelopment Plan. In January 2020, Governor Phil Murphy appointed Tom as the Chairman of the New Jersey State Planning Commission. In this episode, we focus on the R.P.A as an institution as well as the current state and future of the New York City transit system.