Dining, Dialogue, and Sticky Notes

By Nicole Davessar

Before taking a bite of turkey and stuffing, the Cityfi team had a great and full (pun intended) week collaborating with amazing clients and leading sessions on public-private partnerships at events across the country. We joined the New York State Office of General Services in Albany; Waymo and the City of Phoenix at the National League of Cities (NLC) City Summit; and many clients and collaborators for CoMotion LA.

There is even more to celebrate as this week marks the one-year anniversary of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, from which $185 billion in funding has already been announced by the Biden-Harris Administration. This historic investment will continue to award formula and discretionary grants to communities over the next four years to strengthen transportation and supply networks, provide clean water and energy, and expand high-speed internet.

While the Cityfi team has much for which to be thankful, you–our clients, partners, colleagues, friends, and families–top our list. Thank you for your partnership, innovation, thoughtfulness, and support, and we wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving!

P.S. If you find yourself in a post-meal lull and in need of a good read, we have you covered with extra pieces in “What We’re Reading” below.

Gratitude from Team Cityfi

With a growing team and meaningful engagements with clients, we are appreciative of many people, experiences, and other joys at Cityfi. Our team reflected on a few highlights:

● Our crew of creative and talented team members

● The best clients, who are committed to advancing positive change locally, statewide, nationwide, and globally

● Feeling happy and challenged, in a good way, in my longest tenured professional position ever

● Getting the chance to see my wonderful, fun colleagues in person at on-site meetings and conferences

● Our network of Affiliates for bringing their expertise and talent to our team

● Technology that enables us to work and develop meaningful relationships from a distance

● Learning from all my incredibly smart and wonderful team members

● The opportunity to collaborate with diverse clients working to develop innovative solutions to complex problems

● Our team #pets-of-cityfi Slack channel

● An exceptional team that continues to push the boundaries of innovative, effective solutions that make the world and our firm a better place

● Engaging with community members who are grateful for the work that we are doing with our clients to help them benefit from more equitable solutions on the ground

A Strategic Retreat with the New York State Office of General Services

By Kyle Ragan

The Cityfi team of Story Bellows, Kyle Ragan, and Tony Costa traveled to Albany this week for a retreat with Commissioner Jeanette Moy and her cabinet members from the New York State Office of General Services that was hosted at the beautiful Five Rivers Environmental Center. The team had a busy and productive day discussing the strategic priorities and initiatives for the agency as we work to develop the agency's new strategic plan.

A Cross-Sector Discussion on Electric Vehicles

By Alexander Kapur

A small group of public (e.g., Southern California Association of Governments), private (e.g., JOLT), and civic (e.g., Urban Movement Labs) players gathered with Cityfi for a fun dinner in Los Angeles to engage in a cross-sector dialogue about the importance of electric vehicle (EV) charger uptime and charging network performance. We touched on issues ranging from digital infrastructure to labor to several broader curbside management issues: error coding taxonomy and reporting, service standards, field operations and maintenance response time, EV device technician workforce readiness development, public-sector procurement criteria and contract service-level agreements, and others. It is a large, complex concern with implications on broader EV adoption and equity. We are excited for this to be the start of more structured conversations and problem solving on the topic.

Cityfi, Waymo, and the City of Phoenix Represent at the NLC City Summit

By Erin Clark

This week, our team attended the National League of Cities (NLC) City Summit in Kansas City, Missouri. Erin Clark moderated a panel with Jill Warner of Waymo and Chad Makovsky of the City of Phoenix to discuss an innovative partnership between Waymo and the City of Phoenix’s Sky Harbor Airport. It was great to explore Kansas City and to connect with city leaders across the country!

Comradery at CoMotion LA

Integrating Global Mobility (and Solutions!)

By Karina Ricks

Cityfi was excited to participate in CoMotion LA this week, and Partner Karina Ricks helped open the event, moderating a star-studded panel of international leaders. Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) Interim General Manager Connie Llanos spoke to the imperative to measure any mobility integration effort by how well it serves those that experience the greatest risks in mobility: women, children, people with disabilities, and those who are transportation insecure. Transport for London’s Rikesh Shah urged cities around the world to create a climate and culture for innovation by taking down barriers to trying and embracing shared risk. BlueSystem CEO Christophe Arnaud concurred, noting that we can only solve the most intractable mobility challenges by bringing private innovation together with public partnership. Data is the key to unlocking interoperability for all communities, from the most well resourced to those with the least capacity, said Andrew Glass Hastings, Executive Director of the Open Mobility Foundation. Finally, per Justin Erbacci, CEO of Los Angeles World Airports, we cannot wait for transformational change to happen in the future; we need to begin now. Los Angeles is embracing this as it looks forward to the 2028 Olympics and lays the foundation for a new mobility future not only for the Games but for all Angelenos to have a safe, clean, and sustainable today.

Public-Private Collaboration for Mobility and Climate

By Mahreen Alam and Sarah Saltz

At CoMotion LA, Cityfi Senior Principals Evan Costagliola and Camron Bridgford led a collaborative session, Planning for Mobility and Climate: Frameworks for Collaborative Public-Private Sector Engagements. We were joined by panelists Marcel Porras, Chief Sustainability Officer at LADOT, and Ellie Casson, Head of City Policy and Government Affairs at Waymo. They provided perspectives on barriers and opportunities of public-private partnerships, including lessons they have learned through pilot programs and current initiatives. The group included nonprofit organizations, government agency staff, transportation leaders, and private-sector players from new mobility partners and technologists. With input from the panelists, participants collaboratively workshopped steps that cities and companies can take to eliminate barriers to implementing climate emergency frameworks and related initiatives. We look forward to continuing to support innovative, cross-sector solutions that foster real change and positive outcomes for businesses, the community, and the environment.

One Year Later: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

By Brandon Pollak and Nicole Davessar

This week, the Biden-Harris Administration celebrated the one-year anniversary of the $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s (BIL) passage. According to the White House, the Administration has announced “over $185 billion in funding and nearly 7,000 specific projects, reaching over 4,000 communities across all 50 states, D.C., and the territories.” Vast in scope and hailed by Democrats and Republicans alike as working for America, the BIL invests in nearly every facet of the nation’s infrastructure: roads, bridges, ports, airports, public transit, rail, waterways, and internet. Delegated in accordance with the Justice40 Initiative, these investments are reaching communities that are marginalized, underserved, and disproportionately affected by pollution. At a Congressional hearing on Tuesday, Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), who serves as Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works transportation and infrastructure subcommittee said that the BIL “turned out to be a good bill.” In the BIL’s inaugural year and to support its execution into 2026, the Administration has assembled an implementation team across the White House, federal agencies, and local and Tribal governments, including infrastructure coordinators in 54 states and territories. Do you want to know more about BIL funding and projects in your state? Check out the White House state fact sheets.

World Cup 2022 is Here!

By Brandon Pollak

After missing out on the World Cup four years ago, Team USA is back and primed to make some noise with one of the youngest teams in the tourney. Team USA kicks off Group B play facing Wales on Monday at 2 p.m. ET, and a match against England is on the horizon. World Cup 2022 has arguably been the most controversial given the selection process of Qatar and the treatment of migrant workers. It is also the most expensive World Cup ever. The country has spent $300 billion on the games, including a brand new metro system, eight stadiums, including one built with 974 shipping containers, and $45 billion for the mega Lusail development. Bloomberg has a full breakdown of “What Qatar Built for The Most Expensive World Cup Ever.” Good luck to Christian Pulisic (my son’s favorite player) and Team USA!