Philadelphia’s Past, Present, and Future

On Tuesday, April 28, The Pew Charitable Trusts will host a live webcast featuring two panel discussions: one on the current state of Philadelphia and how it arrived at this point, and another looking more broadly at the present and future of cities as a whole.

The webcast marks the release of Pew’s 2026 “State of the City” report, which includes comprehensive data on Philadelphia’s demographics, housing, transportation, public safety, jobs, economy, public health, and more—and benchmarks Philadelphia against other major cities.

Susan K. Urahn, Pew’s president and CEO, will provide opening remarks. Christina Vassallo, executive director of The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, will talk about the importance of arts in Philadelphia, and Donna Frisby-Greenwood, Pew’s senior vice president for Philadelphia and scientific advancement, will give closing remarks.

Program

Welcome and opening remarks

• Susan K. Urahn, president and CEO, The Pew Charitable Trusts

Moderator

• Claudia Vargas, investigative journalist

Panel: The State of Philadelphia Today

• Nina Coffey, secretary-treasurer, Service Employees International Union Local 668
• Jane Golden, executive director, Mural Arts Philadelphia
• Omar Tate, cofounder, Honeysuckle

The Arts in Philadelphia

• Christina Vassallo, executive director, The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage

Panel: Present and Future of Cities 

• Mallory Baches, president, Congress for the New Urbanism
• Nina Idemudia, CEO, Center for Neighborhood Technology
• Rip Rapson, president and CEO, The Kresge Foundation
• Patrick Sharkey, professor of sociology and public affairs, Princeton University

Closing remarks

• Donna Frisby-Greenwood, senior vice president, Philadelphia and scientific advancement, The Pew Charitable Trusts