September 30, 2024
Get to know Transportation Planner Kaylen Phillips.
What did you want to be growing up?
I wanted to be a cashier growing up because I thought that they got to keep all the money… eventually I learned that’s not how buying things works.
What was your first job?
I was an admin assistant for a private security service that provided security guards for nursing homes and similar places.
What did you study in college?
In undergrad, Geography and Urban Studies with a GIS certificate, and my grad degree is in City and Regional Planning.
How did you end up at DVRPC?
I found an internship position with the Office of Safe Streets. Like every other Geography and Urban Studies student, I was obsessed with DVRPC.
What are your responsibilities?
I manage the Regional Safety Task Force (RSTF), and I co-manage the Wissahickon Vision Zero Corridor Safety Study that we are doing this year. I also help out with the Regional Vision Zero Program.
What is your favorite part of working at DVRPC?
The variety in the kinds of projects, people, and levels of government we work with. We approach planning work from many different angles.
If you could immediately implement any change to the region, what would you do?
I want affordable housing and rent.
What is your work/life philosophy?
I really like this concept of “access friction” coined by critical disability studies scholar Aimi Hamraie that describes the ways that different people can have different and sometimes conflicting needs when trying to access something. Being able to tease out creative solutions through compromise and collaboration is an important skill both professionally and personally.
What is something colleagues don’t know about you?
I’m from Georgia and I have strong opinions about cornbread–it should be savory and not sweet! Unfortunately, I haven’t found any cornmeal brands I like in the Northeast, so I bullied my partner into buying me some White Lily cornmeal when they went to Memphis recently. Otherwise it’s like $20 for a 5 lb bag.
If you could meet anyone, who would it be?
Malkia Devich-Cyril, whose work on grief as a collective practice has really changed me and my perspective on community and relationships.
What is your favorite leisure activity?
I like reading, poetry, and finding events that I think I would like to go to and then not going to them.
What is the last book you read?
The last book I read was the nonfiction comic collection from Joe Sacco about Palestine.
Are you a cat or dog person?
Cat. I’m allergic to cats, but I have the scrungliest little cat, Etta, who is very sickly but very cute.
What is a recent gift you’ve given or received?
A bag of cornmeal.
What is the most meaningful item in your house?
I inherited a “seasoned” muffin tin from my aunt that has only ever been used for cornbread. It’s older than I am.