Putting Ideas Into Action
1,389 words in this newsletter - about 5 minutes and 51 seconds to read.
Guest Editor: Carolina de Urquijo
At Cityfi, we design for change. Change that is people-centered, outcomes-based, and realistic about the resources communities actually have. Our approach is grounded in human-centered design, but not in the buzzwordy sense. For us, it means using creativity, structure, and empathy to bring people into the process, design with what’s already on the ground, and translate vision into action.
The pieces in this issue reflect that philosophy.
Breaking the Mold, the Cityfi Way shows how planning can stay alive and adaptive.
Convening for Change highlights the power of bringing diverse voices together.
Thinking Inside the Bus reminds us that transformation often comes from reimagining and strengthening what we already have.
We are not in the business of checking the “innovation” box, we want to develop roadmaps, tools, and plans that deliver lasting impact, break down barriers, and build ownership across teams and communities. That’s how we move from ideas to real change. If this all resonates with you, let’s talk!
Breaking the Mold, the Cityfi Way
By Carolina de Urquijo
The fear of a plan ending up on a shelf or not being operationalized is real. Embarking on the effort to think about the future and plan for it requires effort and foresight, but it also involves the vulnerability of facing change. At Cityfi, we know planning is essential. It’s how communities set direction, align priorities, and prepare for the future. However, we also know that too often, plans end up feeling static, tied to the moment they were written, while the world continues to shift around them. With funding cliffs, rapid technology shifts, evolving communities, and historical inequities, cities and organizations need strategies that can adapt, respond, and inspire action.
How might we transform bold visions into actionable steps that teams can own and take action on? At Cityfi, we believe there are better ways for planning. The Cityfi Way is our methodology for helping clients navigate complexity and change that lasts. It’s people-centered, iterative, participatory, and flexible, built to adapt as realities shift. Drawing on design thinking and human-centered design principles, we focus on reframing problems, exploring solutions collaboratively, and building strategies that move from vision to implementation - quickly.
This means going beyond ideas on paper. The Cityfi Way emphasizes creating roadmaps that are outcomes-based, recognizing contextual and political realities, and equipping teams with the frameworks and confidence they need to take action.
We also know that every challenge our clients bring is unique, and a one-size-fits-all approach will not work for every project. While many firms lean into human-centered design as a buzzword, we’ve adapted these principles to the unique realities of our projects. Recognizing that resources are constrained, staff are overstretched, and problems rarely have one clear solution. Our work is grounded in equity and access, focused on improving quality of life, reimagining public space, and making cities better places for all residents.
We want the Cityfi Way to break the mold - designing strategies and tools that don’t gather dust, but drive change.
Convening for Change: The Power of Bringing People In
By Story Bellows
At Cityfi, we often describe ourselves as conveners. We intentionally create spaces where people who don’t usually sit at the same table can shape solutions together. This isn’t new for me. It has been the throughline of my education and career, shaping how I approach every role and decision. From undergraduate sociology courses at Colgate that pushed me to see problems through multiple lenses, to my work with Urban Age at the London School of Economics, to directing the Mayors’ Institute on City Design, I have seen again and again that when we invite new perspectives in, better outcomes emerge.
Cityfi was built on this principle. Yes, we deliver plans and strategies, but more importantly, we create the tables where real solutions can take shape. That includes helping design and support new organizations like the Colorado Smart Cities Alliance and the Open Mobility Foundation, and leading initiatives such as the Knight AV project to help cities explore autonomous mobility. Our facilitation style is rooted in building sandboxes: spaces where stakeholders can safely test ideas, ask questions, and challenge assumptions. We intentionally create safe spaces for dialogue where all voices, from residents to regulators to industry leaders, can surface what matters most. And we focus on building ownership, ensuring that decisions are not only technically sound but also socially legitimate, with stakeholders invested in the path forward.
We have seen this work across very different contexts. In Aurora, Colorado, our smart city engagement process helped residents, businesses, and city leaders co-design a vision for technology that served community priorities rather than being imposed from the outside. In Elk Grove, California, we developed an inclusive participation framework where government, residents, and businesses could collectively imagine how growth could be smart, inclusive, and future-oriented. With the Knight Foundation, we worked with cities and values-aligned private sector partners to explore how autonomous mobility could deliver outcomes that matter to communities. And with ITS America, we worked nationally to bring together cities and private-sector partners to explore how global events like the 2026 World Cup can be opportunities to innovate beyond procurement and create mobility systems that last long after the final match.
These processes are not about forcing consensus. They are about building legitimacy and shared accountability, so the solutions that emerge are durable and trusted. Convening with purpose takes patience, humility, and a willingness to make the table bigger by inviting voices that might challenge the way things have always been done.
This is not just a Cityfi practice. It is something we all need to do better. At a time when politics feel fractured and communities stretched thin, bringing people together across differences is more than a professional technique. It is a democratic imperative. If we want cities that work for neighbors, small businesses, kids, and the planet, we have to create spaces where people can show up authentically, not to be “right,” but to co-create.
And this does not have to be heavy. The world already is. When we design conversations that are civil, respectful, and yes, even fun, we build not only better ideas but also stronger bonds. That is the work ahead of us, and it is work worth doing.
Thinking Inside the Bus: Designing With What We Have
By Monique Ho
Across the United States, buses remain the backbone of public transit. They serve the largest share of trips, reach the widest geographies, and provide a critical service to many communities that otherwise have limited ways of accessing employment, educational opportunities, and other services. But transit agencies face a hard reality: operating in an environment of limited funding, staff shortages, and competing priorities. Even as we advocate for sustained investment, the question is urgent: what can we do now with the resources at hand?
Moments of constraint can sharpen priorities. Hyper-focusing on customer needs, including reliability, accessibility, dignity, and safety, uncovers opportunities that big capital projects can miss. A bus stop upgraded with lighting and shelter shows riders they are valued. Rerouted service based on real-time travel data can better match demand without expensive expansions. Operational improvements such as all-door boarding or queue-jump lanes can deliver significant travel time savings using existing fleets.
At the same time, creative funding strategies must be matched with smarter partnerships. Transit does not operate in isolation. Bike and pedestrian networks, micromobility services, carshare programs, and even regional vanpools or paratransit systems, which are often managed by other agencies or private operators, represent untapped capacity. By treating buses as the anchor of a broader mobility ecosystem and actively coordinating across public and private partners, agencies can fill service gaps, strengthen first- and last-mile connections, and stretch every transportation dollar further.
This approach sometimes called mobility management is more than a buzzword. It’s a mindset shift: moving from being a bus operator to being a mobility orchestrator. That means sharing data, aligning policies across agencies, and testing small-scale pilots to prove what works before scaling.
In this current moment of constraints, transit agencies, Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), and local governments have the opportunity to refocus on riders, leverage external mobility networks, and build durable partnerships. By thinking “inside the bus,” we can deliver meaningful improvements now, while laying the groundwork for long-term transformation.
The Cityfi Cluster #6
By Ryan Parzick
Ever play the New York Times Connections game? Here is our own Cityfi version for you to play! If you haven’t played before, that’s OK. The rules are simple, but hopefully, solving the game is not! The challenge: group the 16 words into 4 groups of 4. Each group has a unifying theme. You get one shot, so make it count. If you think you have the correct solution, please email us with your 4 groups (you must provide the unifying theme) and the 4 words contained in each theme. An example of a unifying theme could be “Types of Animals” containing the words: “dog,” “cat,” “rabbit,” “deer.” We’ll keep score throughout the year to crown the 2025 Cityfi Cluster Champion. The answer will be posted in our next newsletter. If you want your score to count, please submit your answer before October 24th.
Last month’s solutions are:
Words Associated with Organizational Efficiency: Order, Communication, Clarity, Optimization
Words that can be combined with the prefix “Auto-”: Pilot, Mate, Mobile, Immune
Words ending in “city”: Velocity, Capacity, Electricity, Authenticity
Words Associated with Back to School: Desk, Laptop, Syllabus, Backpack
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.
New York Climate Week - New York, NY - September 22nd - 24th
Partner Story Bellows will be joining an invitation-only roundtable during New York Climate Week, hosted by Economist Impact on September 23rd. The name of the roundtable discussion is Emission Impossible? Scaling Smart, Sustainable Mobility and will focus on:
What new mobility concepts—from electrification to active transport—have been scaled effectively? Which cities have seen the most progress?
Strategies for retrofitting existing infrastructure with minimal disruption
Real-life case studies on effective public-private partnerships to unlock investment and accelerate change
Ways to ensure that efficient mobility fosters inclusive growth and economic opportunity
Since this event will not have an audience, you're just going to have to find her in the city to get her takes on these topics. Let her know you'll be around!
Mobility Innovation Exchange (MIX) Conference - Detroit, MI - September 23rd
Partner Karina Ricks and Principal Kyle Ragan will be at the MIX Conference on September 23 as part of MobilityWeek in Detroit. This conference is where industry leaders, policymakers, innovators, and investors come together to explore the future of mobility—from urban air transport and electric aviation to supply chain modernization and industrial transformation.
Discover how cutting-edge technologies are not only redefining transportation but also powering a new wave of domestic manufacturing and economic revitalization.
Reach out to MI Office of Future Mobility and Electrification if you need a discount code for government, startups, non-profits, or students.
Register now! Prices go up on MONDAY.
Chicago City Builders Book Club - Chicago, IL - September 25th
If you live in Chicago, check out the Cityfi sponsored Chicago City Builders Book Club typically meeting up around every 6 weeks. Principal Marla Westervelt co-hosts this book club where they bring together professional city builders to discuss Chicago-centric books that explore local urban and political issues. The upcoming meetup will discuss Don't Make No Waves...Don't Back No Losers: An Insiders' Analysis of the Daley Machine. Check out their LinkedIn page for updates.
What We’re Reading
Articles handpicked by the Cityfi team we have found interesting:
City Planning: Why Are We Still Building Car-Oriented Development Next to Transit?
Transit: Dallas Transit Cuts Reflect Long-Simmering Suburban Tensions
Digital Transformation: Seattle launches responsible AI implementation plan
All Things Cityfi
Your guide to our services, portfolio of client engagements, team, and…well, all things Cityfi.