Cityfi’s Ode to Earth Day

Apr 12

Written By Cityfi

1,787 words in this newsletter - about 7 minutes and 31 seconds to read.

By Karina Ricks

This week, we look back at the eclipse that was and look forward to the upcoming Earth Day celebration and what we learn from both. Partner Karina Ricks talks about the profoundly energizing experience of witnessing a once-in-a-generation eclipse with a cross-section of America and what we could do if we continue that unified enthusiasm.

Speaking of energy, Partner Alexander Kapur outlines the complex anatomy of digital management tools to promote climate outcomes and later in the newsletter Karina lends some thoughts on why we need to talk more about energy conservation–not just generation. Finally, Ryan shares an in-depth perspective on the new EPA mandates intended to significantly reduce GHG pollution and put an effective ban on “forever chemicals” in our nation’s waterways.

It is a great privilege for Cityfi to consult governmental and non-governmental entities on how to adapt and respond proactively to climate change. Earth Day can sometimes serve as a solemn reminder that the world’s environment is inevitably shifting, but also a reminder that we at Cityfi (and you, the reader!) have much to contribute to bettering our urban and environmental systems.

Happy (early) Earth Day! Cityfi looks forward to continuing its climate-forward mission with all of you.

Lessons from the Eclipse: We Can Do Big Things

By Karina Ricks

On Monday, tens of millions of Americans saw something spectacular - a total eclipse of the sun (earworm intended). From Austin to the Adirondacks, the Path of Totality cut across the Cityfi diaspora - from deep red states and bright blue cities. Together with our fellow Americans,we gathered in parks, parking lots, boats and backyards to gawk at this singular sight. Thick clouds foiled some of us, but clear skies rewarded many and the experience was transformative.

Almost as impressive as the convergence of sun and moon was the convergence of American society. Squatted with hundreds of others at a rest stop off the Ohio tollway. We were a random sample of Americana - truckers, families, workaday folks and fans fresh from the NCAA championship. I am sure we held many divergent opinions about many different things, but for 3 minutes and 14 seconds none of that mattered. When the moment of totality came, we cheered like one. We oohed and aahed and stared up in silent unison, marveling and what nature had done. For those few minutes we were one community and one common in the shadow of this miraculous event.

That fleeting moment was powerful. It really felt like we could do big things when we all come together. No, we did not move the moon in front of the sun, but it reminded me of another moon shot - THE moonshot, when America again pulled together and cheered together. Today we don’t hear liberals touting what their party did or conservatives denouncing wasteful spending on such frivolous engineering. No more unified in religion or politics or ideology then than we are now, we could set that aside to do great things.

Even as we endure another divisive election cycle, I hope we can cling to the elation and emotions we felt during the eclipse - that we are one people and stronger together. That we can cheer and celebrate as one, even while holding different beliefs. We can do great things.

Digital Tools for Climate

By Alexander Kapur

What do you envision when you hear the terms “cleantech” or “green infrastructure?” For most, the immediate image of climate mitigation technologies involves massive, durable infrastructure inter-woven into a futuristic, verdant scape. Examples: the lush Jewel Centre in Singapore’s Airport, or the hulking, intricate deployment of Los Angeles’s Hydrogen Fuel Hubs serving heavy-duty freight trucking near the container Ports. But do you ever conjure the relatively invisible connective tissue and the intelligent systems that will enable all of this new infrastructure and our climate frameworks? If you don’t see it, you should.

As a sample of the invisible, but essential digital backbone supporting our climate mitigation actions, consider just four of the hundreds of types of digital solutions in the toolkit and the forecasts of their market potential. Not only are the technologies themselves impressive, but also notable is their forecasted growth potential:

For water conservation and quality, the collective value of firms in the Smart Water Management Market are predicted to soar at a 9.6% CAGR (compounded annual growth rate), surpassing US $45.10 billion by 2030. Take, for example, Digital Water Solutions’ hydrant.AI product which allows utilities to monitor the distribution system in real-time, providing actionable insights as conditions change and water leaks are detected.
The global electric vehicle (EV) software market that supports everything from payments for consumer-level charging sessions to highly complex vehicle-to-grid (V2G) bi-directional energy exchanges is projected to reach US $693.70 billion by 2030, from US $193.55 billion in 2022, at a CAGR of 17.30%. ElectroTempo takes a differentiated approach to EV charging placements with their site analysis toolkit.
Carbon accounting software and related carbon/GHG data tracking aid firms in managing their carbon release and contributions, aligning with sustainability reporting standards, and governing regional carbon markets and air quality. Sweep is a carbon emissions management tool built with an emphasis on collaborative features, helping embedded sustainability teams manage their mitigation actions and track results across organizational functions. This segment is projected to grow from US $15.31 billion in 2023 to US $64.39 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 22.8%. And the global market for climate risk digital solutions is expected to grow from around $880 million in 2021 (the baseline year) to more than US $4 billion in 2027, approaching a 30% CAGR.

And let’s now drill into just one of these segments. The EV software market includes not only the proprietary vehicle and charger packages necessary to support a single charging session, but is evolving to include Demand Management systems for utilities and Charge Point Operators, Vehicle-to-Grid coordination, roaming and interoperability systems, user-facing applications for planning and accessing charging sessions across multiple networks, contactless payments via mobile apps, QR codes, or RFID cards associated with an account and payment method. Like any other networked device, EV chargers are also susceptible to the risk of cybersecurity attacks. Blockchain appears here in applications such as P2P (Peer-to-Peer), enabling innovative applications such as the sharing of private charging stations and energy trading between utilities and the EV users (V2G).

This surging digital complex is energizing, but also daunting! Private sector solution providers and enterprise customers of these tools (think fashion labels for carbon tracking) will need to carefully understand the landscape of these systems and the involved players in order to develop the best partnerships and go-to-market plans. The public sector will need to grasp this expanse of firms and segments/subsegments, the interrelated components, and the substantial data insights that will be generated to support system performance, to persuade and enforce standards, to set policy and target infrastructure, and to make the right elections in procurements.

Need help bringing your cleantech product to market? Maybe you need some guidance on what tools can be used in your organization? Let us know! Our team of thought-leaders and subject matter experts are happy to assist.

Conserve Earth Day and Every Day

By Karina Ricks

One of my most indelible memories of elementary school were the ubiquitous stickers commanding us to turn off the lights when we left the room. Maybe it was because they were at my (then) eye level. Maybe it was because they were some of the few words I could (proudly) read. Maybe it was something I could do myself and feel like a kindergarten world saver. Whatever it was, I got the message - energy and environment are linked and we need to conserve them both.

As incandescents became high efficiency LEDs, the message of energy conservation seemed to fade. We seem to believe that because renewable energy is clean and infinite, we can use it with smug abandon.

That, of course, is not true.

Energy use is soaring and slated to grow exponentially. While buildings are radically more efficient, the rapid growth of data centers (to process our ever more digital world) and electric transportation deeply challenge our “net zero” ambitions. It isn’t just infrastructure obstacles linking solar fields and wind farms to energy markets, it's that there literally are not enough fields and farms to satisfy our growing energy hunger. Princeton University’s Net-Zero America report estimates that we would need an area roughly equivalent to all of Wyoming and Colorado to meet our current energy consumption needs solely with renewables (or all of Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia for those east of the Mississippi).

While I can’t personally enthusiastically jump on the nuclear bandwagon, and, living in (cloudy!) Western Pennsylvania, deeply appreciate the workforce impacts of shifting from coal, I remain staunchly committed to rapidly decarbonizing energy production and transportation. But this Earth Day we need to talk as much about energy conservation as energy conversion.

Make no mistake, we cannot avert catastrophic climate change without behavior change. As Americans, we very much want to have our cake (AI, bitcoin and personal vehicles) and eat as much of it as we wish without sacrificing what we need - clean air, clean water and a planet to live on. We can certainly have cake - and this country makes some of the best cake in the world! - but we need to savor it and use it sparingly.

This Earth Day, try the bus or the bike. You might meet someone new or find new joy in travel. Look for ways to cut down on driving, no matter how invigorating that electric torque feels. Put down the phone or tablet and turn off the screen for a solid 8 hours a day. Enjoy your fellow humans, animals or nature in real life! To have the future, and planet, we want we have to conserve. Not just on Earth Day, but every day. We can do this!

As Earth Day Nears, New Environmental Regulations Create a Push to Tackle Climate Change

By Ryan Parzick

The United States is witnessing a series of groundbreaking environmental rulings and regulatory actions that underscore the growing urgency to combat climate change and protect our planet. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued multiple rulings tackling new vehicle emissions, airborne toxins from chemical plants, and the amount of ‘forever chemicals’ allowed in drinking water. All of these were announced in less than a month! Admittedly, my head is spinning trying to keep up with the implications these rulings will have on the future of environmental protection and climate action. As envelope-pushing as these edicts are, there are also some potential steps backward that could delay, weaken, or even reverse the historical changes prescribed by the new rulings and regulations.

In case you missed these announcements, I’ve developed a comprehensive rundown of each new regulation, their potential immediate and long-term impacts, and the industry’s response. Read the whole analysis on the Cityfi blog.

Where in the World is Cityfi?

Check out where Cityfi will be in the upcoming weeks. We may be speaking at conferences, leading workshops, hosting events, and/or actively engaging in collaborative learning within the community. We would love to see you.

ITS Americas Conference - Phoenix, AZ - April 22 - 25
Join Cityfi Partners Karina Ricks and Alex Kapur at the Annual Meeting of ITS America later this month. On Tuesday, April 23rd (3 - 4:30PM PT) Alex will join LA Metro and Minnesota Department of Transportation in a panel facilitated by MobilityData to discuss Building Blocks to Better Societies through Data-Enabled Equity Initiatives in Transportation. The session will discuss how data standardization like the General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) enables better understanding, planning and delivery of services for more equitable outcomes.

Wednesday morning, Karina will lead a panel of city and MPO leaders in a roundtable discussing the complex and multilayered digital ecosystem of transportation, infrastructure and mobility. We will explore how digital twins can help planning, maintenance and resiliency and how digital infrastructure is being used to advance safer and more efficient system operations.

Cityfi is also proud to represent at the event as a woman-owned business in the transportation technology space and will join with other women leaders uplifting experiences and influence.

CoMotion MIAMI 2024 - Miami, FL - May 6 - 7
Come on down! Cityfi is hosting a workshop titled The Price is Right: Revenue-Related Tools for New Mobility on Monday, May 6th (10:55 AM - 12:25 PM). Senior Principal Evan Costagliola will join Urban Freight Lab and ECOnorthwest in this exciting workshop focused on public agency revenue-related tools for new mobility. Advances in smartphone and computer technology have enabled a wide variety of innovations for the movement of people and goods. At the same time, the energy transition away from fossil fuels to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and emergence of shared mobility business models are challenging how transportation agencies fund, operate, and maintain transportation networks.

The speakers are working to help develop a decision-making framework and examples of best practices for public agencies to extract revenue from new mobility services - passenger and goods delivery - to pay for transportation-related expenses and subsidize services that provide a public benefit for state and local transportation agencies. Both personal travel and goods movement operate in a shared, public environment funded by public transportation agencies. Therefore, government bodies have a responsibility and an opportunity to develop revenue-related strategies that align with public policy goals.

Discover innovative strategies and gain valuable insights from industry experts. Whether you're a transportation enthusiast or a business owner, this event is perfect for you! Oh, we should mention that Partner Sahar Shirazi and Senior Associate Karla Peralta will be at the conference, as well … a lot of Cityfiers ready to talk shop. Let us know you will be there!

NACTO Designing Cities - Miami, FL - May 7 - 10
Check out Senior Associate Karla Peralta sharing her subject matter expertise at the session titled Safe Journeys: Countering Gender and Queer Violence in Transit on Wednesday, May 8th (11:15 - 12:00 PM). The panel will delve into the fact that safety on transit is not universal. Women, nonbinary, trans, and otherwise queer riders are far more likely to be harassed or the victim of a targeted attack than men. An alarming 34% of transgender people report being denied service, verbally harassed, or physically attacked (and just within the past year of the survey), and 10% of LGBTQ people avoid public transit due to these bias incidents.

Feeling - and being - unsafe or unwelcome while navigating sidewalks and transit systems not only limits personal freedom and mobility but also detrimentally affects social and economic well-being. It’s clear that cities and transit agencies must act - and many are stepping up to directly address this crisis. In this session, hear from experts from across the Americas on the steps and strategies cities must, can, and are taking to turn public mobility from what can be a fraught experience to one that is open, inviting, and inclusive to all.
If you missed Evan Costagliola’s workshop at CoMotion earlier in the week, you can still attend the roundtable discussion titled The Price is Right: Revenue-Related Tools for New Mobility on Wednesday, May 8th (12:30 - 1:30 PM). Learn about how passenger services (bikeshare, scootershare, carshare, ride-hail including AVs, and microtransit) and goods delivery (e-commerce and meal delivery) are presenting new challenges to transportation agencies that must manage transportation system, build and maintain infrastructure, and manage congestion on the street and at the curb. It takes resources to manage new mobility within the existing network. The presenters created a framework for evaluating revenue-related tools for new mobility and need your feedback to make sure the tools – and the price – are right. Partner Sahar Shirazi will also be in attendance, so let us know you will be there!

Smart Cities Expo - New York, NY - May 22 - 23
Welcome To “Spatial Reality” - Wednesday, May 22nd (11:00 - 11:30 AM)
When Pokémon Go debuted in 2016, thousands of players stampeded through parks, trespassed en masse, and injured as many as 30,000 people due to distracted driving. What’s the worst that could happen to cities once a new generation of AI-powered wearable devices drops, led by the Apple Vision Pro? And how can public officials and policymakers start preparing now? To answer those questions, more than a dozen current and former public officials have explored the perils and possibilities of AI and spatial reality at urban scale. Using a foresight method known as “threatcasting,” they collectively imagined the future(s) they wanted — and wanted to avoid. In this session, members of the cohort (including Partner Story Bellows) will share what they learned and discuss how threatcasting offers cities a new tool for preparing for disruption.

As partners, Cityfi also encourages you to join us at two upcoming conferences:

CoMotion MIAMI - Miami, FL - May 6 - 7 - register here.
Smart City Expo USA - New York, NY - May 22 - 23 - register here.

What We’re Reading

Curated by Ryan Parzick

Articles handpicked by the Cityfi team for your enjoyment:

Climate: Three Greenhouse Gases, Three All-Time Highs
CleanTech: Bidirectional EV charging, VPP bill passes Maryland Assembly, heads to governor’s desk
Transportation: An Ode to the Northeast Corridor, the Rail Line that Keeps Amtrak Alive
Accessibility: When Driving is Not an Option: Steering Away from Car Dependency
Urban Planning: City planners love infill development. So why are cities struggling with it, and how can they do better?

Job Openings

Are you exploring opportunities for your next role? Check out these positions, and contact us at info@cityfi.co to learn more!

Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission