Hot Takes and Temps

Experiencing July’s scorching heat and humidity compels us more than ever to work swiftly and deliberately toward environmentally sustainable solutions with our clients and partners. Most recently, Cityfi has been collaborating with Automotus to create data dashboards capturing emissions, electric vehicle adoption, and other insights and with the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) on a curb management workshop in August.

Reflecting on the state of our nation’s and world’s climate as well as other recent events and experiences, the members of Team Cityfi bring you their latest hot takes and opinions on marine life, urban downtowns, summer excursions, and much more. We hope you enjoy reading what has been on everyone’s minds and would love to hear your hot takes on these topics. Drop us a line at info@cityfi.co!

Finally, we have the pleasure of welcoming Chrissy Anecito on board as an Associate based in Los Angeles! Chrissy and Partner Sahar Shirazi, who also joined us this month, shared more with us about the driving factors in their careers and why they chose Cityfi. Learn about these passionate, intelligent, and incredible individuals below, and reach out to explore how they and the rest of our team can support you.

Spotlighting Sahar Shirazi

Cityfi could not be more excited to welcome Sahar Shirazi as the firm’s newest Partner! Her expertise at the intersection of equity, mobility, policy, and land use has been cultivated over a career taking her from the White House and USDOT to WSP and Nelson\Nygaard. Fellow Partner Karina Ricks chatted with Sahar about her professional and personal background, problem solving through a lens of equity and intersectionality, and her favorite eats. Enjoy this excerpt and the full interview on our blog.

Karina: Sahar, we are so happy to have you join us. A lot of folks know you, but your personal story is so fundamental to the passionate, committed person you are. Can you talk a little bit about your life story and how it shapes your professional work?

Sahar: I was actually born here in the Bay Area just about the same time the revolution in Iran broke out. When all the people were fleeing Iran, my family decided to go back. We realized pretty quickly that was not the best move. My dad escaped, but my mom, sister and I were stuck there for almost six years, during the war. My family are from the villages, so not exactly among the educated, connected elite. It was a rough journey getting back to the US. When we finally got here, we were pretty poor. Like many immigrants, we moved to where there was a bit of a diaspora, and for us that was outside of Sacramento, CA. We lived for years in poor white neighborhoods and then in middle class white neighborhoods, where my family faced a lot of racism. We were impacted by poverty, international issues, culture-clashes and gendered expectations. We struggled for access to economic opportunity. Those experiences really made me dedicated to understanding intersectionality and to increasing access and opportunity for others. When I moved to Oakland, it was the first time I really felt at home because it was the first place where there was real diversity and real intermingling. All of that has led me to really value diversity and push for big changes, even if they're done in small ways.

Karina: Wow, that’s powerful. Then you came to us from Nelson/Nygaard where you and I shared the distinct pleasure and honor to work, although we did not overlap. This is an amazing company populated by some of the smartest, most inventive transportation people I've ever had the pleasure to work with. I know it was difficult for you to leave that. Can you talk a little bit about what drew you to Cityfi and what kind of change you hope to influence here?

Sahar: I also love Nelson\Nygaard and the people there and the work that they do. The truth is I've always been curious about Cityfi, since its inception. So many really smart people that I like working with and respect a lot have come here. So, there were a few things that really appealed to me. One is how Cityfi makes connections and collaborates for big moves in spaces where there isn’t necessarily often the power or the opportunity to push forward. The professional space that Cityfi occupies allows and actually encourages that, and it’s unique, especially when working with the private sector. I did not intend on being a transportation person. I sort of fell into it because it was where a lot of things I care about - land use, housing sustainability - all connect. I love how Cityfi connects those pieces and works across both public and private sectors toward outcomes that we really want. Another appeal was Cityfi as a woman-led business. That drew me to Nelson/Nygaard too, that history and culture. ButI I feel like Cityfi is meeting a critical moment in a really positive way. Being led by strong, powerful, insightful women - and strong, powerful, insightful men - and having a view that we can do things that are impactful and important, and also take care of each other and ourselves and be collaborative. We don't have to come to this work from an ego perspective. We can do this from a place of love and care and have even more of an impact. That is huge to me. I think that we have a real opportunity to set an example and that we have the right team to get it right.

Karina: I appreciate that. One of the fundamental capacities Cityfi brings is market growth. The market is bigger than the slim slice of affluent, working age men that are so often the focus, and cities want to see that bigger market served. So by bringing a broader user-centered perspective, by really leaning into inclusivity, we can dramatically expand market penetration and customer base for our clients and better the outcomes for their users. Triple bottom line. So I’m really looking forward to what you're bringing to that.

Sahar: Oh yes. Along those lines, I'm really excited about building out the existing equity work here at Cityfi. And I think that is where there's a huge opportunity in what you just said. There is not enough representation of women and people of color and different abilities in the systems where decision making exists. We, as a people, are getting slightly better at that, but there are areas where Cityfi could be such a help. To me that includes the private sector and tech sector where it is still very male, and still very white. We have an opportunity to help them incorporate better representation and more inclusive benefits.. That also is really exciting.

Cityfi Welcomes Chrissy Anecito

We are also beyond thrilled to welcome Chrissy Anecito to Cityfi as our newest Associate! Chrissy is a policy strategist focused on engaging governmental entities, private corporations and civil service organizations on sustainable and equitable solutions to challenges at the local, state, and federal level. At Cityfi, Chrissy is focused on climate adaptation and resilience, public-private coalition building, and improving programmatic efficiencies. Prior to joining Cityfi, Chrissy launched a pilot Climate Budget program for the City of Los Angeles, and operationalized and implemented multiple projects from Mayor Garcetti’s Justice Budget agenda.

Chrissy has over seven years of experience in political strategy and electoral politics, working alongside the leadership of various political organizations and candidates. She holds a BA from UC Berkeley in Political Science, and a Master in Public Policy from UCLA. Chrissy shared with us her perspective on the crisis and opportunities around climate and why she chose to join Cityfi.

Why are you interested in sustainability?

Growing up in Northern California to a farming family, water access and wildfires were a constant dinner table conversation. I think it took leaving California and living on the East Coast, where people were less versed in these issues, to realize that the climate crisis was only going to continue to get worse as politicians debated whether the existence of snow negated the fact of climate change. I am committed to working with leaders in the public and private sectors to create new climate mitigation strategies, and make the world more livable for urban and rural communities alike.

What brought you to work at Cityfi?

Coming from the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office, I was looking for an opportunity to collaborate more closely with the private sector in addressing sustainability and climate issues. I am excited to join a team that is committed to collaborating with public and private sector clients to bring mobility solutions that address the needs of urban communities and also help to mitigate climate change.

What role do you think private and public sectors play in tackling the climate crisis?

As long as companies continue to prioritize their own bottom line over environmental stewardship and responsibility, we will continue to see detrimental effects on our planet. I am encouraged by the participation of private companies in adaptation and mitigation, and am thrilled for the opportunity to convene public and private sector clients to amplify those efforts.

Automotus: Adventures in Dashboarding

By Chelsea Lawson

Companies like Automotus are a special joy to work with because they both directly provide value to cities through their services, and indirectly through the data they collect. Automotus offers first-of-its-kind automated curb management solutions to help reduce emissions, congestion and safety hazards in communities. Towards that end, Cityfi has been working with the Automotus team to display relevant data that they collect to help measure performance and gain insights towards improving sustainability. Check out a live sample dashboard here and please reach out to chelsea@cityfi.co with any comments or questions.

Improving Pilot Projects with DDOT

By Erin Clark

This month, Cityfi and Compass Consulting facilitated a workshop for the District of Columbia Department of Transportation (DDOT) focused on creating a more efficient, outcomes-driven pilot project process. Participants discussed issues and solutions around the intake, vetting, permitting, and procurement of pilot projects of various sizes and topic areas within DDOT's jurisdiction.

For cities, having the flexibility to say yes to interesting pilot projects that have the potential to improve city services and quality of life for residents and visitors can be hugely beneficial. Equally as important is identifying the proper policy guardrails to ensure consistency in vetting, responsible use of public resources, and alignment with high level departmental and city goals.

The Cityfi team is thrilled to be working with DDOT to improve pilot project policies and processes to create a more nimble, outcome-driven process in the District.

Is your city or department interested in developing a pilot project process or framework? Reach out to our team!

Accelerating EV Adoption with Curb Management Workshop

By Sarah Saltz

Join Cityfi at the "Accelerating Electric Vehicle Adoption with Curb Management Workshop" taking place virtually on Thursday, August 10 · 10am - 12pm PDT.

With increasing pollution and congestion associated with e-commerce deliveries and rideshare driving, cities across the nation are working to reduce transportation emissions and encourage the adoption of zero emission delivery methods. Successfully managing the curb will be key in facilitating a smooth and rapid transition

Cityfi is a partner on this DOE VTO Curb Management pilot study, supporting the team in developing clear performance metrics tied to project objectives and methodologies for collecting data and evaluating metrics. We invite you to learn more about our initial learnings, tools and resources from the project's collective efforts, and what we have planned for the next phase. Register here!

Hot Takes from the Cityfi Team

Sarah Saltz

Electrification has a branding problem. Remember when we realized that calling the climate change emergency “global warming” was probably a bad idea? Cars (EVs or not) are getting heavier and larger, congestion is increasing, and streets remain at best unpleasant and at worst deadly for pedestrians. Primarily focusing on the EV transition solves none of this. 50% of car trips in the US are <3 miles: let’s subsidize e-bikes and human-scale electric modes!

Sahar Shirazi

Whether you agreed with her politics or not, the fact that Sinead O'Connor used her platform to push difficult conversations and stand up to power, as a very young woman in a time when it was only socially accepted for (a few) male (white) musicians to do that is undeniably brave, and inspiring. Nothing compares 2 U, Sinead.

Nicole Davessar

As someone who loves books, was an avid fan of my county library’s summer reading challenge growing up, and has enjoyed D.C.’s National Book Festival, I could not pass up the inaugural Columbus Book Festival this month! Celebrating Columbus Metropolitan Library’s 150th anniversary, the fest drew over 33,000 people of all ages and demographics to downtown’s Main Library and Topiary Garden and showcased authors and stories that reflect a kaleidoscope of lived experiences and imaginations. Especially in a time when censorship curtails knowledge and truth, access to books and libraries gives us so much more than just literature; it elevates underrepresented voices and binds our cities and communities, cultivating a sense of place and belonging.

Kyle Ragan

As I stood watching the Flobots play outside Union Station at the Denver Vibes inauguration party for Mayor Mike Johsnton it was hard not to be drawn into the excitement in the air as Denverites from every corner of the city enjoyed local food and beer while listening to an iconic Denver rock band. It is no secret that downtowns and central business districts across the US have struggled to recapture the same vibrancy and excitement that they had before the COVID pandemic. While there have been countless articles talking about requiring employees to come back into the office or incentivizing office-to-residential conversions, an often overlooked element is creating a place and environment that people want to be. Free coffee is not enough to draw people from the couch to the cubical and is certainly not going to keep them downtown past the end of the work day. The success of downtowns across the country will hinge on the ability to infuse local artists, entrepreneurs and chefs into the urban core, creating an environment where people from all backgrounds want to be and interact with each other. While there are no doubt hard challenges ahead there is a generational opportunity to reimagine our urban cores to make them more human centric and inclusive.

Karina Ricks

Major automakers are making a huge push to build out a national electric charging system to “make zero-emission driving more attractive.” I would love to see the same level of zeal, commitment, investment and action to make transit, biking and walking more attractive, fun and normalized!

Evan Costagliola

Cityfi is about to embark on a project to review and evaluate revenue-related strategies for new mobility and urban freight with some amazing partners. As we get started, I can't help but chuckle at where cities and the industry are now compared to the policy and regulatory environment in 2016 when I led shared mobility programs at the Seattle Department of Transportation. There is much progress to be gained to establish equitable, policy-aligned pricing and revenue streams (and uses of revenue streams), but we are in a much better place 10 years later.

Erin Clark

With global record high temperatures this month, cities (and the private sector!) have to get serious about climate response. The fact is, we all know most of the steps necessary to confront climate change, but we need bold local leadership and funding to take action. Cities like New York and London are putting their money where their mouths are - and we need others to follow.

Chrissy Anecito

Marine animals are trying to get our attention - from the orca “attacks” on ships throughout the mediterranean, to the mass beaching of these whales in Australia, to the sea otter in Santa Cruz biting surf boards - there is something happening in the water and we ignore it at our peril.

Caro de Urquijo

During Cityfi’s offsite, I had to overcome my 10-year fear of hopping on a bike. It was a sunny day in Chicago, and I was on the dream team for the firm’s scavenger hunt. We needed to get places fast, and bike-share was our best option. The truth (that I had to confess to my team) is that the last time I was on a bike, it was a horrifying experience, after which I swore I would never use one again. Fast-forward ten years, and there I was about to “hacer el ridículo.” I borrowed an e-bike Divvy, and the feeling of cycling the streets of Chicago was liberating. Let’s give bonus points to e-bikes for eliminating the struggle of using my not-so-strong legs on the hills. I see more cycling in my future and look forward to it!

Camron Bridgford

As many of my colleagues are writing in their hot takes, climate is on the top of everyone’s mind this summer. From Canadian wildfire smoke, to fires in Greece, to extreme temperatures in Miami-Dade County that have risen water temperatures above 95F, to the stretch of consecutive days in the South and Southwest areas of the United States that have broken heat records -- I could go on -- this article on summer vacations hits home. The summer vacation as we knew it -- which was historically a reprieve from the stresses of our everyday lives -- brings front and center the challenges that our world and climate faces. Not only does it underscore that summer may bring more woes than joys, but it also highlights that these climate changes are happening fast and hard. This is no longer something on the horizon -- it is front and center. Even my frequent travel over the summer for a trip to Ireland and work travel has led to many flight delays due to violent and rapidly changing weather. I am wondering when the alarm will finally set in for our communities about the severity of what is happening to our communities.

Starting From Somewhere

By Andrew Wishnia

Pursuant to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, the Washington Post reported just this morning that State Departments of Transportation shifted (or "flexed" to use the Federal Highway Administration parlance) $750M from the new Carbon Reduction Program (CRP) created under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to other highway formula programs, including to highway projects that either don't address transportation's impact on climate change, or highway projects that in certain instances could make solving for impacts more challenging. The Washington Post's article is worth considering from an administrative perspective on how best for State DOT and localities to execute the law, as well as for purposes related to the next reauthorization.

In addition to the reporting in the article, Cityfi would note two omissions that may somewhat exacerbate the problem statement identified by the reporting. The bottom line here is that the issue and impact is unfortunately not only a "50 percent" siphon under the law but in fact could theoretically comprise up to 100 percent of CRP's funds. First, if one reviews the legislative text, while inapposite to the spirit by which the law was created, States could flex 100 percent of the CRP upon submitting carbon reduction strategies to FHWA. That element of the law misaligns both the underlying intent of the program and other legacy apportionments administered by FHWA.

Second, the FOIA request could have also included a request for obligation rates given that it's possible that some States are simply letting those funds remain uncommitted and thus subject to what's called August redistribution. As the phrase suggests, if funds remain unobligated, FHWA redistributes unobligated balances to other States that can use those funds for eligible purposes, but those purposes do not necessarily need to include reducing carbon as part of that process. Without additional transparency of both the obligation rates for the program as well as a full accounting of the types of projects that are being funded from this program, the CRP will serve an important purpose but remain underutilized. In the meantime, Cityfi can support State DOTs and localities that have struggled to furnish carbon reduction strategies, or improve upon existing strategies, and stands committed to seeing this program realize its potential.

Zero Emissions Delivery City Challenge

By Sarah Saltz

City leaders, this one's for you! LACI, in partnership with Climate Mayors and C40, is seeking expressions of interest from U.S. cities to participate in their newly launched Zero Emissions Delivery (ZED) City Challenge. LACI is a longstanding Cityfi partner and we encourage interested cities to respond to the RFI linked here.

Selected cities will participate in a facilitated multi-city cohort to invite and deploy zero emissions climate innovations that have the potential to reduce emissions from e-commerce and goods movement sectors in individual city contexts. Some cities may wish to focus on the deployment of e-cargo bikes for last-mile delivery; others may focus on electrifying medium and heavy-duty trucks; still others may pilot innovative zero emission curb management systems, and more.

Cohort members will support the creation of an innovation sandbox within their city to develop policy and technology pilots focused on zero emissions delivery solutions and share learnings and new ideas across a national network of fellow city cohort members.

LACI is hosting a webinar next week on 8/1, and you can register here. RFI submissions are due 8/21. Feel free to reach out If you are interested or have questions.