Movers and Shakers
By Nicole Davessar
From the East Coast to the western seaboard, and places in between, we are proud to work with clients that are shaking up the status quo and moving toward more livable, sustainable, and equitable communities.
Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Government of the District of Columbia, via the Southwest Business Improvement District, just launched The Mobility Innovation District (MID). Cityfi was thrilled to help lead ideation and execution. The MID promotes human-centered, future-leaning mobility solutions to address systemic urban challenges and brings together a diverse array of leaders in service of this vision.
Cityfi also congratulates former Partner Andy Berke on his appointment by President Biden as Administrator of the Rural Utilities Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In this role, Andy is focused on improving life in rural communities through investment in telecommunications, electricity, and water. We look forward to continued collaboration with him and other leaders driving progress for people and communities.
With Election Day around the corner on November 8, we have the opportunity to shape our nation’s future using our individual and collective voices. Please do your part, and vote! No matter the results, our team will be here, excited to advance critical innovations with current clients and partner with new ones to create the future. Do not hesitate to reach out, and happy almost Election Day!
D.C. Launches The Mobility Innovation District with Mayor Bowser and the USDOT
By Brandon Pollak
Cityfi is incredibly excited to support the Washington, D.C. Government and Southwest Business Improvement District (SWBID) on The MID. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, Deputy Mayor John Falcicchio, USDOT Senior Advisor Ben Levine, and DDOT Director Everett Lott launched The MID on October 20. In attendance were federal and local government officials, transportation policy leaders, entrepreneurs, and community advocates striving to bring mobility solutions to D.C. that are more equitable, sustainable, and safe. Mayor Bowser announced that Circuit was the winner of The MID’s first pilot, a 100% electric on-demand shuttle service starting in Southwest D.C. in early 2023.
Washington, D.C. is a highly unique market to launch a mobility innovation district, which is why The MID will not only serve as a technology testbed but a catalyst for economic development and entrepreneurship growth and a hub for policy research and development. The federal government, industry associations, embassies, think tanks, political groups, foundations, media influencers, venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, and virtually every major corporation all have footprints in D.C. The city is a global hub for conferences and major events. In addition, Fortune 500 CEOs, mayors, state legislators, governors, and senior officials from around the world spend time there. The MID will tap into this vast stakeholder universe to create a connected ecosystem for solving mobility challenges and turn D.C. into a hub for bolstering the neighborhood economy.
Read More on The MID:
Smart Cities Dive’s DC mobility innovation district aims to increase transit access, model solutions
Route Fifty’s Testing Out New Transportation Options in the Nation’s Capital
Electrification and Mobility Wallet: The MID Releases New Call for Projects
By Kyle Ragan
In conjunction with the launch, The MID announced two exciting initiatives: a Call for Projects related to electrification and a Call for Information to develop and deliver a mobility wallet. The Call for Projects on electrification recognizes the increasingly important connection between transportation and energy. The MID recognizes that the electrification of transportation extends well beyond the electrification of personally owned vehicles. The goal of the projects is to encourage innovative solutions that demonstrate how electrified transportation can create a more sustainable, equitable, and safe District. The MID is looking for a wide range of projects and solutions, from electric vehicle charging to micromobility charging, electric bike libraries, or any other innovative ideas that may not have been considered.
In addition to the Call for Projects on electrification, The MID is seeking additional information that will inform a future universal basic mobility (UBM) program. This program will provide a subsidy to local residents that they can use on a range of transportation options based on what their needs are at any given time. This request for information will gather additional information around the potential capabilities and key considerations related to a mobility wallet that could be used to distribute the funds for the UBM program.
A Bold Vision for West Palm Beach Gateway
By Karina Ricks and Karla Peralta
West Palm Beach is undergoing a dramatic transformation. The once quiet beach town is rapidly becoming a destination for living, working, and playing. The recent opening of Brightline state rail service, new residential and commercial development, looming climate impacts, and rising mobility congestion and safety concerns are compelling the community to think about its future - and future solutions! - in different ways. Cityfi Partner Karina Ricks presented a compelling array of future-leaning challenges and solutions at a workshop hosted by Palm Beach Transportation Planning Agency (TPA). Local Associate Karla Peralta facilitated local stakeholders in ideating near term actionable and innovative solutions to advance housing affordability, climate resiliency, equitable economic development, and safe, sustainable mobility. We look forward to supporting Palm Beach TPA, city leaders, and planning lead Kittelson Associates in finalizing an action plan for the gateway area.
Waymo Launches in Los Angeles
Source: Waymo
By Sarah Saltz
Last week, Waymo announced the launch of its next market: Los Angeles. With many of our team members and clients based in the area, LA is close to our hearts. We have been working with Waymo on its market launch strategy and city stakeholder engagement and are excited to continue supporting them as they embark on this next step. LA is the third market in which Waymo will operate its ride-hailing service, after San Francisco and Phoenix.
Cityfi Supports Campus Mobility Hubs
By Evan Costagliola
University and college campuses are epicenters of mobility. In some ways, college campuses are microcosms of the diverse transportation needs in cities across the country. Universities, cities, and even metropolitan regions are seeking new ways to centralize access to mobility and meet the changing demands of rapidly changing campus environments.
The Dallas-Fort Worth region is leading the way and Cityfi's Evan Costagliola is currently leading North Central Texas Council of Government's (NCTCOG) regional campus mobility hub strategy. This is an effort that will equip the region's 63 campuses and their city and transit agency partners to plan and implement campus mobility hubs on and near campuses. To date, we have helped NCTCOG define campus mobility hubs, understand campus mobility trends, identify hub locations, develop a campus hub typology, and even build scenarios for campus mobility hub investment in different campus environments.
In October, we took the message on campus. Working in partnership with Nelson\Nygaard and Mosaic SKM, Cityfi recently led in-person, pop-up university campus engagement sessions at the University of North Texas - Denton, the University of Texas - Arlington, and Dallas College - Cedar Valley to hear student and faculty feedback about existing and desired mobility experiences, impediments to mode shift, and preferred mobility hub elements.
While we are nearing the end of our partnership with NCTCOG, the work is not done. In early 2023, we will complete a funding and implementation strategy, a comprehensive catalog to guide campus hub planning and implementation, and a Campus Mobility Hub Plan for the University of North Texas. Check back for more news soon!
Cityfi Rides (Not Drives!) Toward Vision Zero
We agree that all conferences should have bike valet parking!
By Sarah Saltz
This month, our team attended the Vision Zero Cities Conference in New York City. We were inspired and more motivated than ever to continue our work supporting cities in building safer streets and more livable cities. We were particularly excited about Transportation Alternative’s launch of Spatial Equity NYC, a project that maps and charts data on fifteen spatial equity indicators, including public seating, surface temperatures, noise pollution, traffic injuries and fatalities, and bus lanes.
The Los Angeles Digital Government Summit Returns
By Alexander Kapur
The Los Angeles Digital Government Summit resumed in person for the first time in three years in downtown Los Angeles, and Cityfi Partner Alexander Kapur was in attendance. Top of mind was how government has accelerated the transition to digital service delivery in wake of the pandemic and the remaining work to go. Local government technology staff worked overtime in 2020 and 2021 to quickly move to remote services as a public health priority; the Summit took some time to recognize their essential work and celebrate these efforts. Digital executives from the City of LA, the County of LA, surrounding municipalities, and regional government players were eager to continue the pace and showcase the period as a demonstration of how quickly the public sector can move to digital.
Here are some key takeaways from the event:
Administrators and Tech Need to Plan Together: LA County Clerk CIO - Government tech teams and “business” teams must collaborate to apply tech to key outcomes like public safety and election integrity. This is done best through careful strategic planning and roadmapping as well as scheduled adjustments to those plans along the path of implementation.
It’s (A)Live! AI is Here: AI is already creating leverage and return on investment for basic city services: phone support triage, citizen requests, and simple enforcement functions.
Equity and Access are Cornerstones for Transformation: Dawn Comer, Director of LA’s Digital Inclusion; LLoyd Levin from T-Mobile Government Solutions; and Amanda Sunger from Google Public Sector advocated for the need for public-private partnerships and initiatives to get everyone online. Free smartphone devices preloaded with government apps, government online form translators, and the role of libraries for digital literacy were all case studies. There was a healthy debate about the need for municipal broadband but no doubt that broadband must be considered an essential utility.
Data as a Service: Many solution providers partaking in the Summit represented data collection, archiving, and refining platforms, indicating the steadily rising role of data as a key resource in governing the evolution to data-driven government.
Security is Key: Threats from outside and are occupying lots of time and attention as many localities experienced critical hacks and cyberattacks during the pandemic and the 2020 elections. Many of the event sponsors showcased systems and data security, recovery, encryption, and blockchain.
Government IT Workforce Burnout: Many government IT execs and staff are burned out, and there is a high threat of churn. Management might activate retention plans and/or consider external partnerships to shore up their capacity.
What Happened to the Fresh Blood?: There was a noticeable lack of sponsorship and presence at the event by startup and growth stage companies. Did the pandemic decimate new govtech ventures? Has GovTech become an incumbent game in a more permanent way? Or are startups pursuing local government through other engagement channels instead of conferences?
Biden-Harris Administration Driving U.S. Battery Manufacturing and Good-Paying Jobs
Brief Summary by Mahreen Alam
The Biden-Harris Administration announced that the Department of Energy is awarding $2.8 billion in grants from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to 20 manufacturing and processing companies for projects across 12 states. President Biden also announced the American Battery Materials Initiative, a new effort to mobilize the entire government in securing a reliable and sustainable supply of critical minerals used for power, electricity, and electric vehicles. The funding will go toward the creation of battery-grade materials including lithium, graphite, and nickel. President Biden said the U.S. is experiencing “one of the most significant economic transitions since the Industrial Revolution.”
In addition to the grants, President Biden announced the creation of a new American Battery Manufacturing Initiative that will allow for a full government approach to produce batteries for uses ranging from electric vehicles and homes to defense purposes. The move will continue the push to increase American competitiveness by creating more batteries and critical battery components in the U.S. Additionally, the launch of the American Battery Material Initiative will make the U.S. more competitive, ensuring the nation can make more domestically to support its own supply chains and workers. Check out this fact sheet to learn more about individual projects.
New Federal Actions to Lower Energy Costs for Families
Brief Summary by Mahreen Alam
The Biden-Harris Administration is taking action to lower energy costs for working families and support good-paying jobs and manufacturing in the U.S. These actions will provide support for families who live in areas that are most affected by climate change. These actions will complement tax credits that families and building owners can use under the Inflation Reduction Act to install energy-saving equipment and to make building upgrades.
Other new steps to lower energy costs for families include:
New Resources for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
Manufacturing Heat Pumps to Drive Energy Efficiency: Heat pumps are highly efficient technology that can heat and cool homes and buildings using just half or a third of the energy used by traditional heating systems. Heat pumps hold tremendous promise to lower energy costs for all American families—saving up to $500 in energy bills every year—while supporting good jobs, reinvigorating American manufacturing, and improving public health.
Supporting Good-Paying Jobs: The DOE is announcing an upcoming roundtable with labor, businesses, and other key stakeholders to get input on the program design of $260 million in workforce development programs to support energy efficiency and building upgrades funded by the Inflation Reduction Act and by the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Mobilizing Financing: The Environmental Protection Agency’s new $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund – created by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act to mobilize financing for greenhouse gas reducing clean energy and climate projects – will host a National Public Listening Session on November 9 to hear stakeholder input on how these catalytic federal resources can support the deployment of distributed energy resources, including heat pumps, in disadvantaged communities.