Meet Us in May

It’s May and the Cityfi team has had a bit of a Spring in our step (see what we did there?). We have been out and about canvassing the country meeting with leaders who are committed to future change and clients who are already in the process of making it happen. As you read on, you will see what we have been up to in Northwest Arkansas, Ossining (NY), Portland (OR), Chicago (IL), and Santa Monica (CA). We’re not done, either! Miami (FL), Anaheim (CA), Denver (CO), and Detroit (MI) are just some of the places we will be heading to over the course of this month, so be on the lookout for your favorite Cityfier in a city near you.

NW Arkansas MOVES

By Monique Ho, Story Bellows, Brandon Pollak, and Erin Clark

In April, Team Cityfi traveled to Northwest Arkansas to engage with a variety of stakeholders throughout the region to explore the concept of an advanced mobility plan that builds on the ongoing activity in the region, in collaboration with the Walton Family Foundation, and to deepen our understanding of local and regional opportunities, challenges, and community needs.

Northwest Arkansas has experienced substantial population growth in recent years. Since 1990, the region has consistently ranked fourth in population growth among U.S. metropolitan areas with populations exceeding 500,000 people. The region is known for its world-class mountain biking and has a strong bike culture; however, active transportation as a mode for commuting still hasn’t seen wide adoption, despite a regional greenway and flat topography in cities like Bentonville and Springdale.

The region has become a major emerging hub for the future of mobility, especially Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). Last December, The Arkansas Council on Future Mobility, which was chaired by UP.Partners Co-Founder & Managing Partner Cyrus Sigari, and included public and private sector leaders, announced numerous priorities and recommendations for how the state can become the global leader in the future of transportation.

Highlights of our trip included:

Hearing from mayors and staff in Bentonville, Springdale, and Fayetteville around local and regional mobility and economic development projects and priorities
Meeting with business leaders, outdoor recreation advocates, and entrepreneurs to learn more about efforts to create a homegrown innovation economy
Visiting Walmart’s Home Office to learn more about Walmart Moves, an initiative to get 10% of the retailer’s local workforce to commute by any means other than driving alone

Visiting sites such as the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, The Momentary, experiencing some of the amazing mountain biking trails, excellent coffee, and eating incredible grilled cheeses at the University of Arkansas.

Causing a CoMotion in MIAMI

By Karina Ricks

A tremendous shift is underway (at long last!) to decarbonize transportation. But at Cityfi, we don’t think it is enough to just eliminate emissions without also advancing objectives for shared, equitable and human-centered mobility and cities.

Federal funding is coming fast and furious to aid the transition, but many places are unprepared or overwhelmed (or both!) to structure a zero emission transportation program that is feasible, implementable, and promotes a shift to cleaner, safer, more equitable and lower-impact mobility options. Doing this requires different policies, diverse partnerships, and a significant amount of experimentation and continuous learning.

It can be daunting for already over stretched and under (human) resourced cities to take on yet another initiative, another plan, another strategy, and a host of new projects. Its hard to know where to start.

CoMotion Miami is looking to help these cities, and others. The “Making the SHIFT” workshop at CoMotion MIAMI on May 11 will begin to break down this imposing task to more manageable approaches. Cities will collaborate and learn from each other to identify the partnerships, information, tools, resources and strategies that can be manageable first steps toward a sensible and successful long term transition.

Join us next week in Miami May 10-11, and join the collaborative national network of cities, counties and regions crafting holistic strategies for transportation decarbonization. If you can’t make it to Miami, follow up with us at info@cityfi.co to see how we can help you develop an actionable and inclusive strategy for clean mobility.

Cityfi Joins Project MOVER in Ossining, New York

By Sarah Saltz

Our team joined our Project MOVER colleagues and visited the Village of Ossining, New York for its annual Earth Day celebration. While we were there, we met with some of our fantastic local team members - The Village of Ossining and Neighbors Link. We also met the folks at Pedego, a local e-bike retailer, and explored the Village on e-bikes.

Project MOVER, led by EIT InnoEnergy, was selected as a grand prize winner of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s (NYSERDA) Clean Transportation Prize in the Electric Mobility Category. Project MOVER’s objective is to test and develop a methodology for designing and deploying e-bike access programs first in Ossining and in similar communities across New York State. The Electric Mobility Incubator (EMI) is an important component of the project. The EMI scales the program from the Village of Ossining, the anchor community, to four additional local communities who have expressed interest in e-bike access programs. Through the EMI, we will co-create a sustainable and scalable blueprint for these types of mobility programs, with feedback and input from the Village and subsequent EMI communities.

As project manager, Cityfi convenes project partners, aligns shared goals, priorities, and actions, and facilitates forward progress. This project also holds great meaning for me personally. As a strong believer in the potential of accessible, affordable electric micromobility to transform communities and individuals, it is heartening to see the funding mechanism work and the public and private sectors overcome differences and work together. Unlike longer term strategic planning or policy development exercises, I consider myself fortunate to be able to support mobility directly by helping actually plan for and deploy e-bike programs. With Project MOVER, I am so excited about the small role Cityfi is playing in helping bring e-bikes into the hands of more people. In doing so, we support greater optionality in how people get around, which is the cornerstone of equitable mobility.

Urbanism Next

By Erin Clark

Last week, Team Cityfi attended the Urbanism Next Conference in Portland, OR. We hosted climate workshops, sat on various panels discussing pilots, zoning, and autonomous vehicles, and learned A LOT from colleagues and leaders about the future of our cities.

Highlights included:

a plenary from Lucas Grindley on communicating change with a focus on how narratives shape policy;
a panel with representatives from Portland’s Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) and TNO on how cities prepare for societal challenges and uptake of emerging technologies; and
taking the light rail to Washington Park for a late afternoon hike!

We also had the chance to reconnect with former Cityfiers Gabe Klein, Ahmed Darrat, and Kate Garman Burns.

Thanks to Nico Larco and the Urbanism Next team for a thoughtful, energizing conference!

Community Driven Innovation at ITS America

By Brandon Pollak

At the annual ITS America conference in Dallas, TX I joined an incredible group of panelists including Techstars Managing Director Trey Bowles, Janine Ward from the State of Michigan’s Office of Future Mobility & Electrification, and Dan Sullivan, Director of Municipal Engagement for FinTech startup MoCaFi to discuss "Community Driven Innovation: Unleashing the Neighborhood Economy through Mobility." Innovations in mobility and 21st century infrastructure can drive greater outcomes, and connect people more efficiently to health care, food, and retail.

We dove into a new “Innovation Architecture” that goes beyond testing or slowly implementing technologies in cities. But connecting new, forward-thinking living labs, such as Michigan Central in Detroit or The MID in DC, to bolster entrepreneurship, “Policy R&D”, economic development, workforce development, equitable alternative funding for transportation such as Mobility Wallets, and growing an electrification economy that encompasses more than EV charging infrastructure.

The neighborhood is something we talked a lot about. Getting local when it comes to new innovations. But coming out of COVID, when so many communities were hit hard, growing the “neighborhood economy” has more staying power than ever. Major events, such as economic collapse or a pandemic have a way of presenting opportunities to tackle major challenges through innovation, entrepreneurship, and establishing new mediums, such as the sharing economy which really took shape after the ‘08 economic crisis. And mobility connects all of these key parts of the neighborhood together.

All Together Now at SUMC

By Karina Ricks

It seems everyone is getting together during the spring conference season, and some of the best of the best were at the Shared Use Mobility Summit May 4th and 5th in Chicago.

Conference speakers spoke candidly and passionately about the history of racist transportation policy and the lasting legacy that continues to hold back communities and individuals. Building from the Shared Mobility 2030 Action Agenda, conference plenaries and sessions delved into actionable strategies underway across the country to bridge the gender gap, preserve and expand connected, affordable housing, and explore new models of shared mobility that can serve and connect more people and complete the trips that make for a thriving life.

Partner Karina Ricks got to share the stage with luminary leaders pushing forward to define, measure and address transportation insecurity, while numerous clients and friends shared their ongoing work to build better places and better lives through shared mobility.

Newsletter Success: Forming Local Connections

By Chelsea Lawson

I was honored enough when my mom and brother said they saw my blurb at the bottom of Cityfi’s Earth Day newsletter and wished me luck running my farmer’s market booth. I was next-level surprised and delighted when Avital Shavit, Senior Director of LA Metro’s Office of Innovation, reached out and suggested that we could partner together, along with the City of Santa Monica and my alma mater, Duke University, to sign local residents up for their One Car Challenge. I will save more detailed information about the challenge itself for a future newsletter. For now, I am just taking a moment to appreciate serendipity and the joy of working in a field where personal and professional interests overlap and there is an invigorating common thread of seeking to improve communities. If something you read inspires you to reach out, please do!