Monthly Event

Design in Transit: How the Visual Culture of Each City’s Subway Reveals its Urban Identity

When

Wednesday, August 12, 2026

5:30 PM - 7:00 PM

Where

The Village of Industry and Art at 320 South Broad Street

What

On August 12th, David Seltzer will join DAG for a presentation based on his book,Transit Tourism: The Iconic Art and Design of 22 Subways Around the World, released in 2025 by Schiffer Publishing. Transit Tourism consists of travel essays and images on the art, architecture and design of 22 subway systems located in 18 countries, giving an underground perspective on the unique character of each of these cities. The premise of the book is that the visual culture of each subway, metro, tube or u-bahn—its architecture, art installations, vehicles, map, logo, wayfinding, and even typeface—reflects the distinct personality of the city it serves.

Viewing these systems through the design lens of a “transit tourist,” one appreciates that subways are not just a means of transport—they are an indelible part of a city’s DNA, and to understand a city, you really need to understand its subway.

This event will be held at The Village of Industry and Art at 320 South Broad Street.

Registration is not required for in-person events, however it is helpful for our planning. Light refreshments will be served.

RSVP

Previous DAG Monthly Events

Archived | 2026-06-17

Driving Change: Connecting Research, Policy, and Practice in the Transportation Sector

Archived | 2026-05-13

AveArts 2.0

Archived | 2026-03-26

Philadelphia After Dark: Designing a City That Works 24/7

Presenter

David Seltzer

David Seltzer is a Principal and co-founder of Mercator Advisors LLC, a Philadelphia-based registered municipal advisory firm formed in 2001. David previously worked in investment banking at Lazard Frères, Lehman Brothers and EF Hutton, and worked for several years at the US Department of Transportation.

David is actively involved in Philadelphia’s civic affairs. He co-founded CraftNOW Philadelphia, a consortium that promotes the city as the nation’s leading center of contemporary craft. He is a trustee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and has chaired its Architecture and Facilities Committee. He previously chaired the Philadelphia Youth Sports Collaborative, Philadelphia Gas Works, and The Philadelphia History Museum, and was a long-time board member of Starfinder Foundation (a soccer-for-social-change nonprofit). Perhaps most importantly, he fulfilled a lifelong ambition in 2023 by strutting down South Broad Street in the Mummer’s Parade with the Golden Sunrise New Year’s Association.

Mr. Seltzer holds a BA in Urban Studies from Trinity College, Hartford and an MBA from The Wharton School. He and his wife, Lisa Roberts (who also is actively involved in civic affairs) reside in Society Hill.