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In honor of WTS Philadelphia's 45th anniversary, our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Committee is highlighting 45 female transportation pioneers, leaders and rising stars throughout the year. These 45 women in transportation have made an impact, continue to make us proud, and demonstrate the inextricable link between women and the success of our industry. Join us in celebrating Kelley and Elizabeth, two of the 45 women! 

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Happy Earth Day everyone! Did you know that prior to 1970 there was no collective effort to address the negative impacts of pollution to our land, air and water? In celebration of Earth Day, the WTS Philadelphia EDI (Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) Committee is highlighting two leaders in Sustainability: Kelley Yemen from the Philadelphia Office of Transportation, Infrastructure, and Sustainability (OTIS), and Elizabeth H. Lankenau, AICP, from the Philadelphia Office of Sustainability. Kelley and Elizabeth are women number 16 and 17 of our 45 women highlighted for our 45th anniversary! Check out our May chapter newsletter to learn more about Kelley’s and Liz's passion for sustainability.

A word from...

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Kelley Yemen
Director, Office of Multimodal Planning
Office of Transportation & Infrastructure
City of Philadelphia

1. Can you tell us about your path to joining the Office of Multimodal Planning?
   Looking back, friends would say I’ve always cared about walking and biking - from my start as a 5th-grade crossing guard and leading grade school protests against parking in playgrounds to joining the City of Philadelphia in 2016 to create the Office of Complete Streets (now Office of Multimodal Planning). Walking and biking were part of my childhood as a form of freedom to visit my friends after school, biking to the park or local pool, and watching my dad bike to work every day. As my education and career progressed, I found my way into the field of planning through a book at the library (Suburban Nation) and it opened my eyes to a field that involves the environment and sustainability, human connection, and a general sense of social responsibility. From there, I went to graduate school at Rutgers and worked in New Jersey, New York City, and Hennepin County, Minnesota before coming to the City of Philadelphia.
    
2. What does “Sustainability” mean to you?
   As a transportation planner, sustainability means working to make low or no-carbon transportation options the first choice for residents. It means working with SEPTA to build bus lanes, working with neighbors to expand and improve our bicycle lane network, or working with schools and kids on how to walk and bike to school safely.
    
3. Why is sustainability important in transportation and within the City of Philadelphia?
   We are regularly seeing the effects of climate change, from warmer winters to increased flooding and major storms. The Transportation sector contributes around a quarter of our total greenhouse gasses. Improving multimodal options that are low or no-carbon reduces that impact and slows the rate of emissions growth. More than half of all day trips are under three miles. If we can convert those short-distance trips to low/no carbon modes, we can make real progress in greenhouse gas emissions.

A word from...

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Elizabeth H. Lankenau, AICP
Director, Office of Sustainability
City of Philadelphia
 

1. Can you tell us about your path to joining the Office of Sustainability (OOS)? 
   I joined OOS in March 2023 as the interim director, and I am now serving in an official capacity as Director in the new Mayor Parker administration.  My educational background is in historic preservation planning, which took a turn to broader land use and transportation planning relatively early in my career.  For many years and in different capacities, I was involved with the I-95 Improvements Project, most recently having served as the City-State liaison on the project while at the Office of Transportation, Infrastructure, & Sustainability (now Office of Transportation & Infrastructure).  When I moved to OOS from OTIS last year, the phase that is laying the foundation for the new Penn’s Landing Park (I-95 Section CAP) moved from design to construction.  This was a fortuitous time to pivot into this new role.  In some ways, I regard my new job as an opportunity to get back to my historic preservation roots.  Buildings represent approximately 70% of carbon emissions in Philadelphia, with transportation and waste being at approximately 25% and 5%, respectively.  As a preservationist now positioned in the sustainability field, I hope to hit home that conserving, reusing, and retrofitting older buildings is a significant way to address the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions from the building sector.
    
2. What does “Sustainability” mean to you? 
   OOS’s mission statement is to improve the quality of life for all Philadelphians through advancing environmental justice, reducing carbon emissions, and preparing for a hotter, wetter future.   While the statement is broad and reflects that “sustainability” touches on every aspect of our day-to-day lives, we do not “own” the subject matter and must collaborate at all levels of government and all sectors to meet the mission.
    
3. Why is sustainability important in transportation and within the City of Philadelphia?  
   In Philadelphia, transportation represents approximately 25% of carbon emissions, whereas buildings/industry and waste represent approximately 70% and 5%, respectively.  With the industry moving increasingly toward electric vehicles, carbon emissions will be reduced – particularly as more renewable resources power the electric grid.  But electric vehicles are only one part of the equation to reduce emissions in the transportation sector and can only succeed as we figure out how and where to install charging infrastructure, which is very complicated.