Following the Future

By Ryan Parzick

We mentioned in the last newsletter that our team has been traveling around the country presenting at conferences, working with clients, and learning from experts in their respective fields. All of these travels have had a theme that is very important for what we do here at Cityfi … Following the Future. We help make sure the future is something to be ready for, whether that is helping a community address current and future needs, helping bring innovative new technologies to the forefront, or aligning and activating both public and private sectors to deliver tangible outcomes.

What has - and has not - worked in the past feeds the decisions for our futures. Sometimes technology or societal events bring new ideas/needs to the forefront. Being nimble, prepared, and aware of core values and goals is key to successful navigation of the changing tides. This is what we do. This is who we are. As you will read below, one of our partners will be on a panel with Australian counterparts discussing innovation on the city level and how to design for impact (keep reading to find out who is our resident “Innovation OG”). We led three panels at CoMotion Miami where discussions were centered around the future of mobility. We facilitated a workshop for our client, Miami-Dade County, to help them plan for their future. Lasty, at least in regards to this newsletter, Cityfi was represented in Detroit where we joined visionaries brainstorming emerging policy needs. We are constantly challenging conventional thinking and driving change. Want to learn more about us, check out our website.

City Innovation OGs? Yes, Please

Please join Cityfi partner and “Civic Innovation OG”, Story Bellows, in a DiD Community Conversation “City Innovation OG’s - Design for Impact” on Monday, May 22nd at 6:30 PM ET. She will be joined by David Kaldor, Design Lead for the City Futures Design Lab at City of Hobart (Tasmania, Australia), as they share insights about their work leading data informed design and civic innovation in local government and public institutions. Bonnie Shaw (another Civic Innovation OG) from Place Intelligence will moderate this hour-long online event, which is open to all and is FREE. You can sign up HERE.

NewDEAL Leaders

By Brandon Pollak

To me there is nothing like a trip home to Detroit, especially when you get to tackle major policy challenges with some of our country’s rising political stars over some of my favorite staples like Slows BBQ and Lafayette Coney Island. The NewDEAL Leaders, which has given rise to Mayors, Governors, Cabinet Secretaries, Members of Congress, and more convened for their annual Ideas Summit. We dove into issues such as climate policy solutions for modernizing the grid, equitable transportation, public safety, and electoral democracy. Right now, many cities, states, universities, and startup communities are building coalitions for federal funds to build tech hubs. Obtaining funding for these transformation projects was top of mind. Building a strong homegrown workforce while spearheading growth in emerging technologies as communities seek to bolster their economies.

As a native Michigander, it has been great to see the state’s blueprint for becoming a major hub for mobility innovation coming to fruition. I finally had the chance to visit Michigan Central and the recently opened NewLab, which is the epicenter of a public-private partnership between Ford, Google, the State of Michigan, and the City of Detroit. A technology testbed and incubator for launching the next generation of mobility startups. On the initial visit we met with entrepreneurs building EV’s, drone delivery, intelligent transportation through A.I., and even robotic artists. This unique model of partnership, and fast tracking regulatory approvals for its testbeds could give Michigan a leg up nationally to attract talent while building its local neighborhood economy.

Miami Moves

Cityfi hosts first strategic planning workshop for Miami Dade County’s Department of Transportation and Public Works

By Camron Bridgford, AICP

Miami-Dade - one of the fastest growing counties in the nation encompassing one of the fastest growing cities on the continent - is a place where sun, surf, congestion, and traffic safety converge. To successfully navigate the next decade, the Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW) needs to deliver on a strong executive vision today and set the county up for lasting resiliency and efficiency tomorrow.

On May 9th, Cityfi team members Karina Ricks, Camron Bridgford, and Karla Peralta hosted nearly 40 attendees from Miami-Dade County’s DTPW, as well as other agencies, including Mayor Levine Cava’s office, for the first of three in-person workshops associated with the development of the department’s 10-year strategic plan.

In 2022 and 2023, Cityfi developed a two-year action agenda for DTPW that defined and prioritized nearly 100 actions that leadership should take in the near-term to further the values and vision of SHIFT305, DTPW’s strategic initiative that aims to provide a safer, cleaner, connected, and efficient transportation system within Miami Dade County. SHIFT305 is in concert and aligned with Thrive305, the countywide strategic plan through the office of Mayor Levine Cava.

In 2023, Cityfi will develop DTPW’s 10-year strategic plan, which will serve as the overarching document to guide the department’s vision of being an outcomes-driven and data-based organization that improves the quality of life of Miami Dade County residents and visitors.

This first workshop that took place on May 9th brought together key department and County stakeholders to discuss and define this vision for DTPW. Workshop activities focused on the four core pillars of Shift305 - Safe, Clean, Connected, and Efficient - and asked participants to think about both the ideal state of DTPW and transportation in Miami-Dade, as well as the challenges and barriers that need to be addressed in order to reach this vision.

As part of the strategic planning engagement process, Cityfi will also hold a series of interviews with key internal and external stakeholders, and hold two additional workshops that will focus on developing goals and strategies aligned with the vision arising from workshop #1 (workshop #2), and then move those strategies toward action by identifying resources and partners in workshop #3.

Cityfi is proud to continue its work with DTPW, which over the last four years has included working on the department’s Shared Use Mobility Plan, Vision Zero Implementation Plan, conducting a department-wide organizational assessment, and developing the two-year action agenda and a forthcoming electrification strategy.

CoMotion Conversations

By Karina Ricks

Where can you find venture capitalists and visionary public leaders, innovative entrepreneurs and implementation-minded advocates? CoMotion, of course! Twice a year CoMotion brings together an eclectic cross-section of inventors, doers, and investors. The gathering is like no other and challenges participants to look candidly at the present and lean into (and shape!) the future of mobility.

CoMotion Miami was appropriately set at a logistical and passenger port - setting the stage for conversations around supply chain, new technologies for logistics, and a candid discussion of needs and obstacles. Cityfi led three critical discussions.

A panel discussion on gender equity in transportation, reviewed the many initiatives underway in Latin and South America - including Bogota, Columbia’s innovative women-centered “La Rolita“ transit service - and the leadership of Los Angeles Department of Transportation to mitigate the “Pink Tax” and promote a more inclusive mobility system for all. Cityfi also led a workshop to equip local county and municipal leaders with implementable strategies to begin to approach Community Charging and Fueling Infrastructure, transition to lower emission vehicle travel, and reduce vehicle travel overall. Cityfi wrapped up our time at the conference with a closing session with other Global Advisory Council members discussing the challenges we will face in Fall 2023 and beyond including the looming transit fiscal cliff, rising pressures of autonomous urban passenger vehicle travel, and investment in transportation infrastructure in a liquid-fuels-lite future.