Featuring two Op-Eds by Equitable Cities Collaborator, Manish Thakre
I am thrilled to share that Manish Thakre, a brilliant friend and collaborator to Equitable Cities Collaborative, has been prolifically pounding out timely op-eds over the last month or two, one published in the Philadelphia Inquirer and another in Next City. With our renewed focus on collaboration, I want to utilize my blog to feature more of the work of my amazing colleagues and partners, in addition to my own occasional thought pieces (I am admittedly behind on writing my own!). Please enjoy these two great pieces:
Published on May 28, 2025
The City Must Leverage 2026 Events to Build a World-Class Transit System | Published in the Philadelphia Inquirer
FIFA officials have said the 2026 World Cup is equal to hosting three Super Bowls a day for a month. The city has allocated millions for airport upgrades, but public transit must not be overlooked.
Philadelphia is set to host major events in 2026 — from the FIFA World Cup to America’s 250th anniversary — offering a chance to showcase the city and boost its economy. But financial pressures threaten the reliability of the very transit system needed to support this moment.
At the same time, broader economic uncertainties are mounting. Federal tariffs are expected to raise the cost of household items, including cars, putting additional strain on family budgets.
Compounding the challenge, SEPTA is facing a critical funding gap and contemplating drastic cuts in service throughout the region. In this context, commuting is set to become significantly harder and more expensive for everyday Philadelphians, just as the city prepares to welcome millions of visitors.
The Philadelphia Transit Plan outlines long-term mobility goals, but 2026 presents an urgent opportunity to act. To stay competitive and inclusive, the city must invest in an affordable, climate-friendly, and user-centered transit system that serves both residents and millions of expected visitors.
Philadelphia’s multimodal transit network — which includes SEPTA, PATCO, NJ Transit, and private options like Navy Yard shuttles and ferries — is rich in potential but increasingly weighed down by critical structural, financial, and safety concerns.
SEPTA alone served 746,506 daily unlinked passenger trips in March, a 13.5% increase from the previous year. Its systemwide ridership has recovered to 75% of pre-COVID-19 levels, reflecting robust demand across buses, subways, trolleys, and Regional Rail.
But systemic issues persist: staffing shortages, delays, inefficiencies, and breakdowns disrupt commuters reliant on public transit for work, education, and healthcare. Safety concerns, including over 2,100 worker assaults since 2019, and gun violence on buses and stations leave women, the elderly, and children feeling unsafe.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has called the 2026 World Cup the equivalent of hosting three Super Bowls a day for a month. And with the city allocating nearly $60 million for events and $500 million to upgrade the airport, public transit must not be overlooked.
Now is the time for all levels of government to upgrade the city’s transit — not just for global events, but to reflect America’s urban leadership and address rising inequality, traffic risks, and environmental challenges.
The need is not just logistical — it’s deeply social and environmental.
Philadelphia’s Gini coefficient rose to 0.52 in 2020, signaling high income inequality. Most residents (56.1%) rely on cars, while only 21.4% use public transit. In 2023, the city ranked eighth-worst nationally for traffic, with drivers losing 146 hours annually — worsening emissions and public health. Traffic deaths rose to 123 in 2023, with pedestrians and cyclists most affected. The city’s Vision Zero plan aims to eliminate these by 2030.
A reliable, affordable transit system can ease this burden, reduce congestion, and ensure the success of 2026 events while driving long-term economic growth.
The economic case is just as strong. The American Public Transportation Association estimates national transit investment could yield $5 billion in GDP and 50,000 jobs per $1 billion spent annually. Philadelphia’s events offer the chance to not only elevate the city on the world stage but also invest in infrastructure that benefits generations to come.
Encouragingly, policy momentum is growing. A White House task force is overseeing World Cup preparations, and several local initiatives are underway:
Bus lane enforcement using AI-powered cameras.
Bicycle infrastructure upgrades on key corridors.
Pedestrian safety improvements with $7.3 million in new funding.
Transit worker protection through pilot bulletproof enclosures.
Still, these steps must go further. One idea: a dedicated tax or surcharge (e.g., carbon tax on vehicle fuel emissions, parking pricing on urban lots, betterment levy on properties gaining value from transit upgrades) could be introduced during 2026 to help fill SEPTA’s budget gap.
Crucially, these investments must prioritize equity, targeting underserved neighborhoods most reliant on transit for access to jobs, schools, and healthcare.
Philadelphia has done much to prepare for 2026. But unless we seize this moment to transform our public transit, the city risks missing its full potential — not just as a global host, but as a model for inclusive, climate-smart urban mobility.
Now is the time to act boldly, invest wisely, and build a system worthy of the city’s history — and its future.
Manish Thakre is a freelance consultant specializing in climate action, resilience, and inclusive urban development. He holds a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Published on June 11, 2025
Our Public Spaces Are Failing Teen Girls, Adolescent girls are missing from parks, playgrounds — and our gender-blind urban planning. So let’s ask them what they need |Published in Next City
In parks and playgrounds around the world, youth run, swing and laugh. Younger children play freely, and teen boys dominate fields and courts. But where are the adolescent girls?
Play is a powerful platform for children and youth to explore their interests, from science and sports to design and civic engagement, shaping their long-term health, hobbies and potential careers. But play areas are typically designed either for children under eight or as football fields for boys.
Meanwhile, the needs of girls between the ages of 11 and 17 — such as spaces to swing, stroll, or sit and chat on benches — are frequently overlooked. A 2019 World Health Organization-led study suggests that 85% of school-going adolescent girls worldwide fail to meet the minimum recommended hour of daily physical activity.
To mark the International Day of Play on June 11, local governments could take a step toward more inclusive cities by convening adolescent girls in their cities to gather ideas on how to design spaces that truly support their growth and rights.
Play and planning
In the U.K., more than one million teenage girls who once considered themselves “sporty” disengage from sport after primary school. Reasons include fear of judgment (68%), lack of confidence (61%), school pressures (47%) and not feeling safe outside (43%). These issues underscore the urgent need for gender-sensitive urban planning and recreation policies.
Cities have historically been planned by men, primarily for men, with adolescent girls rarely consulted and their needs overlooked. This has resulted in gender-blind urban design. With little or no convergence between agencies, interventions are often fragmented and reactive rather than concerted and sustainable. There is limited awareness of children’s rights within urban planning systems.
Play and recreation are fundamental rights under Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Children, and the UNCRC’s General Comment No. 17 reinforces this right, urging states to take action. UNICEF’s guidelines on child-responsive urban planning emphasize five core benefits for children: health, safety, citizenship, environment, and prosperity – yet these are often missing in city design.
Safety concerns, social norms, over-surveillance and stigma exclude adolescent girls from public spaces. UNCRC General Comment No. 17 highlights barriers such as domestic duties, cultural expectations, safety concerns, and lack of suitable spaces that restrict girls’ play under Article 31. Gender stereotypes confine girls to home roles while boys engage publicly, limiting girls’ physical activity, despite its benefits.
Access to safe public spaces remains a global challenge. According to UN-Habitat’s 2022 Her City report, nine out of 10 women report feeling unsafe in public spaces, and globally, 30% of women aged 15 and older have experienced physical or sexual violence at least once in their lives.
‘I helped with that!’
To foster inclusive and safe public spaces, cities must ensure safer streets and accessible open spaces like parks and playgrounds — working with adolescent girls to meet their needs. And it can be done, as shown by two parks in Bath, England, and Vienna, Austria.
In March, Brickfields Park in Bath was redesigned to prioritize the needs of teenage girls, led by Your Parks Bristol and Bath in collaboration with Make Space for Girls. Research indicated that while boys predominantly used sports facilities, only 10% of basketball court users were girls, and none utilized the football pitches. Girls expressed a preference for social, inclusive spaces over traditional sports areas.
Through community consultations, including input from Hayesfield Girls’ School, the project culminated in a £75,000 redesign. Enhancements included a five-way swing, accessible entrances, tree trunk seating, somersault bars, and a figure-eight bench. To improve safety, sightlines were enhanced by reducing hedgerow heights. One local teen, Martha, shared her enthusiasm: “It’s been great to connect with the community and the park, and it’s amazing to be able to say, ‘I helped with that!’”
Vienna’s Einsiedler Park offers another example of gender-sensitive urban planning redesigned to better include girls. Recognizing that girls over the age of 10 used the park less frequently, the city undertook a redesign in 1999 to better meet their needs. The planning office Tilia introduced multi-purpose sports fields, a paved skating area and secluded seating to accommodate diverse interests. Enhanced lighting, wider paths and park watch programs improved safety, while neutral sub-zones encouraged creative play and made the space more inviting. This intersectional approach, prioritizing safety and accessibility, helps ensure public spaces are equitable and inclusive for girls and other marginalized groups.
Cities must create a conducive environment that enables girls to contribute meaningfully to urban development and the achievement of the sustainable development principle of “leave no one behind,” in line with the directives of General Comment No. 17.
Participatory processes should empower girls as young urban planners who understand their role as stakeholders in shaping their cities. However, these efforts must be supported by effective planning and governance systems involving all responsible stakeholders: duty bearers, elected representatives, NGOs, child support organizations, the private sector, philanthropy and communities.
When girls are aware of their rights and the conditions of their neighborhoods, they can initiate change toward a more inclusive urban environment. Their engagement not only makes public spaces safer and more accessible, it also brings them into direct contact with urban local bodies and other decision-makers — ensuring their voices are heard and valued.