Past and Prologue

Written By Cityfi

By Karina Ricks
 
As February rolls into March, Black History Month gives way to Women’s History Month. It is fitting that we feature an interview with Veronica Davis - a shape-shifting urbanist who crosses between and unites authentic community engagement, inclusive planning and sustainable, joy-inducing mobility with unrivaled and unapologetic passion. It is also fitting that we recognize and celebrate the “retirement” of FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez - an Afro-Caribbean, Latina, immigrant female engineer who broke through so many barriers and biases to demonstrate the transformative talent that could go unused if past inequities perpetuate. I feel fortunate to be part of this chain - mentored by Nuria and mentor (of sorts!) to Veronica.
 
Cityfi plays a critical role in this continuum. As Story Bellows notes in her article, Cityfi occupies a unique space at the intersection of innovation, technology, and transportation - sectors woefully underrepresented by women and leaders of color. And we bring to that space, knowledge and experiences that broaden the perspective. Of our four partners, three of us are women, two are People of Color, and three are first-generation Americans. While still admittedly lacking in racial diversity, thirteen of our seventeen staff are women. Selected on merit alone, Cityfiers are merely a reflection of the exceptional talent that is at the ready if purposely sought out, welcomed, and given the opportunity to thrive.
 
We use these talents to work with selective clients and deliver thought leadership that is expansive and inclusive in the people served and benefited. This value permeates Sarah Saltz’s thinking about the future of micromobility and public mobility and Erin Clark’s leadership in curbside management and digital infrastructure.
 
Women’s History, Black History, Hispanic heritage and all other forms of racial, ethnic, and physical diversity aren’t just recognized one month out of the year for Cityfi. Diversity and inclusion are deeply embedded values we strive to demonstrate and advance every day with every client and every project. While we celebrate where we come from, we are excited about where we are going. Come with us!

Interview with Veronica Davis

Photo courtesy of Island Press

By Vicki Fanibi

In the bustling world of transportation, some individuals seem to be destined for greatness in shaping the way we move and connect. Veronica Davis, a prominent figure in urban planning and equity advocacy, is one such luminary. Most recently, she was the Director of Transportation & Drainage Operations for Houston, Texas and last year she published Inclusive Transportation:  A Manifesto for Repairing Divided Communities, a call to action and a practical approach to reconnecting and shaping communities based on principles of justice and equity.
 
In our interview with her, Veronica shares her remarkable journey, revealing how her career path was intricately woven into the fabric of her family's legacy and her own passionate pursuits. From her early days surrounded by the infrastructure of transportation to her pivotal roles in government agencies and community development, Veronica's story exemplifies the intersection of fate, determination, and purpose. Read our blog for the full conversation as we delve into her experiences, challenges, and visions for a more inclusive and accessible transportation industry. To give a flavor of the interview, we are including one question and response below.

Q: What would you say is the biggest hurdle in achieving equity and inclusion in transportation?
A: The largest hurdle right now is you have an organized effort that is against those very things.  You see it with anti-DEI efforts. Any time a Black person shows up, there’s the assumption that they are a diversity hire. Any time something goes wrong, the theory is that it’s because of diversity hires. We all know that is not the case.  There’s also anti-intellectualism. I will say that even just in my career, you could show people the data and there’d be some understanding. Now, you show people the data and they don’t care. They don’t believe you. They don’t trust you. They’re “smarter” than you. It makes it hard because you’re not able to have a conversation from a place of data and research. You’re having a conversation from a place of emotion.

I think that for advocates, we are going to have to come up with new language. Some of the language we have been using has already been twisted up for other things. For instance, in Texas, there was a bill proposed preventing road diets. People have co-opted road diets, taken the data, and placed misinformation out there. And now there's people who are against any and all road diets because all hell's going to break loose and the sky is going to fall. The most pressing hurdle is we’re going to have to constantly move and adapt our language since someone is always using it in a way that is “not correct” or not how “we would normally phrase things.” We then get blamed for being condescending in our language. From an engagement perspective, it is just going to get harder.

Ladybosses

By Story Bellows
 
When Cityfi became a women-owned business, we talked frequently about what it meant to us and why it’s important. Now that it just is, we talk about it less often, and while we try to embody its values every day, we articulate that less than we used to.
 
On Tuesday, I had the privilege of bringing two of my Cityfi colleagues to a “Transportation Ladyboss” event in New York City, a group filled with passionate and accomplished women who touch the transportation industry from various perspectives. Initially conflicted between attending this networking event and spending time with my three-year-old, an article I read about women’s trajectories plateauing and/or stalling when their children are young pushed me to make an appearance.
 
Not only was it the most enjoyable work-related evening I’ve had in a while, but it was also an opportunity to connect with other women making that same (false) choice between family and career. Additionally, it afforded me the opportunity to think about what it means for us to be women-owned.
 
More than once, women in attendance expressed how meaningful it is to them that Cityfi is a women-owned company. It reminded me of the inherent value in platforming diverse voices in conversations about how we move around our cities and our planet. This event reinforced the importance of  being “in community” with people of varying backgrounds, the necessity of ongoing professional mentorship, the foundational need for compassion, a commitment to excellence, and maintaining an abundance mindset (i.e., my quality of parenting is not the same as the quantity of my parenting). Most importantly, it emphasized, once again, how inspiring and energizing it can be when in the presence of 25 badass women. So here’s to Women's History Month and to recentering on the values that drive our company forward.

Stay Tuned! Cityfi Unveils Deep Dive into the Future of Shared Micromobility

 
 

By Sarah Saltz

Led by Sarah Saltz and Evan Costagliola, Cityfi is launching a three-part series on our Medium channel (affectionately known as “Our Blog”) looking into the state of play for the shared micromobility industry, and how local governments and transit agencies might double down on these services. Unlike recent reactive news coverage, we will look at the future of shared micromobility from both a historic and longer-term lens, providing valuable insights for cities, investors, and industry. Some elements of the transportation systems have had 120 years of investment, policy change, and land use to ensure its supremacy. Shared micromobility needs new models and ways of thinking to unlock positive community outcomes and ensure staying power. This series will:

  • Unveil themes and lessons from history: We delve into five key themes that have shaped shared micromobility, extracting valuable lessons for navigating the present and future.

  • Lay out clear actions to take now: We discuss implications and takeaways with concrete recommendations tailored to the public sector, industry professionals, and investors.

  • Chart the future: We explore opportunities and potential scenarios for shared micromobility in both the near and distant future.

Mark your calendars for Cityfi’s next newsletter on March 15th, when we’ll release the first chapter. Expect an overview of what’s top of mind for us at the moment amid some of the recent changes, historical themes and their relevance today across public micromobility trends, personal ownership patterns, and the ongoing pursuit of product-market fit. Join us as we unlock the complexities of shared micromobility and air new ideas to help build a more sustainable and equitable future for cities.

OMF SMART Grant Update

By Erin Clark

As we reported back in October, Cityfi is thrilled to be working with the non-profit Open Mobility Foundation (OMF) and a group of cities and counties awarded USDOT SMART grants last year. Los Angeles, Miami-Dade, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Portland, San Francisco, San José, and Seattle (the “Collaborative”) pursued a cohort approach in which, by learning together, they can accelerate innovation. Each member of the Collaborative is addressing a similar problem with similar technologies – specifically to digitally gather and analyze curb information to reduce congestion, enhance livability, provide the tools to address equity, and improve safety on city streets. The shared, open-source Curb Data Specification (CDS) stewarded by OMF lies at the heart of this collaboration, and will enable data to be gathered and analyzed such that cities can more optimally use their curbs and dynamically respond to emerging policy needs through experimentation, piloting, and prototyping various approaches while learning from those efforts and from each other. 
 
Cityfi is joining OMF and the Urban Freight Lab to provide support to the Collaborative including the documentation and sharing of information and learnings across Collaborative communities and technical assistance via in-person and virtual convenings. An early resource to come from the Collaborative is a blog post on streamlined procurement authored by our friends at OMF. We know this is just the beginning of a shared learning experience that will result in improved curb allocation and management in each community - and a stream of communications tools, case-studies, how-to guides, best practice reports, and research that will benefit the Collaborative and beyond.

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.
 
Smart Growth America Equity Summit - Washington, DC - March 27 - 28

  • Sahar Shirazi will be running a workshop on Day 1 at 4:00 PM centered around addressing challenges in equitable planning and implementation with actionable solutions. Reach out to her to meet up! Don’t forget to be on the lookout for Vicki Fanibi and Carolina de Urquijo, as well.

Curbivore 2024 - Los Angeles, CA - March 28 - 29

  • Chelsea Lawson, Chrissy Anecito, and Monique Ho will be representing Cityfi in all things related to The Curb at the annual event. They will be happy to talk shop or about the great L.A. weather, so don’t be shy, say hello.

What We’re Reading

Curated by Ryan Parzick

Articles handpicked by the Cityfi team for your enjoyment:

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