Beyond the Boot: Parking, Trust, and What Moves a City
Register for our upcoming conversation with Richard Lazer, Executive Director of the Philadelphia Parking Authority!
Urban Strategy in the Present Tense is a conversation series featuring notable urbanists discussing their frontline work in urban resilience, as well as sharing their insights about public policymaking, urban problem solving, and life in Philadelphia.
This installment of our conversation series will feature Richard Lazer, Executive Director of the Philadelphia Parking Authority & Patrick Morgan, Distinguished Resident Fellow for Civic Design at the Lindy Institute in conversation about how new ways of working, technology, and engagement are being used by the PPA to address long-standing operational and city-wide challenges. Read more about them below.
The series is produced by the Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation at Drexel University in partnership with the Urban Strategy Masters Program in Drexel's Westphal College of Media, Arts & Design.
Richard Lazer has served as Executive Director of the Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA) since 2022. At the PPA, he is leading efforts to modernize operations through smart city technology, reduce congestion, and improve neighborhood-level quality of life. He brings two decades of public sector experience, including his tenure as Deputy Mayor for Labor, where he served as the city’s chief labor negotiator and oversaw labor relations for a 26,000-person workforce. Lazer played a key role in major city initiatives such as the $400 million Rebuild program and the Worker Relief Fund. His work extends to regional coordination with SEPTA, PHL International Airport, and the Port Authority.
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Patrick Morgan is a Distinguished Resident Fellow for Civic Design and teaches in Drexel's Westphal College of Media Arts & Design. Previously, he was 1st Deputy Commissioner of Strategy & Engagement with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, leading its first strategic plan and key initiatives like Reimagining the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and Greenworks 2.0. As Program Director for the Knight Foundation, he managed a $26 million portfolio of community-focused grants. Earlier, he served in Mayor Nutter's administration as Chief of Staff to the Deputy Mayor for Environmental and Community Resources and as an Assistant Managing Director.