The #CitiesFirst Podcast (Scott Shepard)

Where some see forgotten places, Rik Adamski sees extraordinary opportunities and is dedicated to supporting extraordinary places where people thrive. As the President of ASH+LIME, Rik has consulted on over 50 projects across 35 towns and cities, focusing on downtown and neighborhood planning, local economic development, support for small developers, and deep stakeholder engagement. His approach is bottom-up and incremental, providing communities with tools and resources to achieve immediate, productive steps towards tangible results using their current resources. Rik earned his Masters Degree in Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Planning & Urban Affairs and a BA in Sociology from the University of Cincinnati. Rik has consulted for several of the most prominent planning organizations in the US before moving to Texas and embracing a more nimble, actionable and participatory approach to developing communities.

Here's a sneak peek into the episode, which is all about Third Places, tactical urbanism and incremental placemaking: 👇👇👇

✅Tell us about how you approach public engagement and equity

✅How can tactical urbanism re-activate neighborhoods & communities

✅What are the building blocks for thriving public spaces & Third Places

✅How have urbanism & mobility evolved since the pandemic

✅Tell us about your professional journey to leading ASH + LIME

For this episode, we’re interviewing Guillermo Campoamor, CEO and Co-Founder of Meep.

Guillermo has experience in the public sector, legal, and international commerce industries. Background in OEM with expertise in sales and business development. Builds and grows relationships with both public and private companies. Degrees in law and economics.

We'll be discussing a wide range of burning topics, such as: #Maas, #Ticketing #PublicTransit, #ArtificialIntelligence, and #BigData.

Here's a sneak peak into our conversation: 👇👇👇

✅ How can MaaS help to increase public transport ridership 📱

✅ How can MaaS serve as an enabler for sustainable modal shift 🌍

✅ Who's investing in MaaS in the post-COVID city 💰

✅ How can AI / ML help provide a better MaaS & public transport user experience 🖥️✅ What's on the horizon for MaaS in 2023 🛴

Jeral Poskey is CEO and co-founder of Swyft Cities, a transportation solution that revolutionizes mobility and transforms real estate, enabling more vibrant and sustainable communities. Prior to Swyft Cities, Jeral was the project executive in charge of transportation planning for Google’s real estate division, where he was tasked with finding sustainable, cost-effective means to move tens of thousands of employees, and in the process, create more livable spaces for their corporate campuses and surrounding communities. Swyft Cities was spun out to take the new technologies developed at Google and bring them to the global market for real estate, developers and municipalities. 🛴🚝🚌🧑‍💻📈

Here's what was covered in the episode: 👇👇👇

✅How has COVID changed the land use and transportation nexus?

✅Can transportation demand management strengthen the hybrid office model

✅How can on-demand transit and micromobility lead to sustainable modal shift

✅What are your predictions for the post COVID commute?

Alex is Founder and Managing Director at Full Turn Capital, where he invests in early-stage companies innovating at the intersection of cleantech and mobility. Previously, Alex was the SVP of Market transformation at the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI), where he oversaw LACI's technical priorities, multi-stakeholder programs and initial pilots and deployments. He joined LACI from Groupe PSA in Paris where he was VP of Corporate Strategy, co-leading the company’s acquisition of Opel from General Motors and leading the company's work on autonomous mobility. Previously he haded the automotive automotive industry vertical at the World Economic Forum, with a focus on autonomous mobility. Alex has also served VP of retail sales at an LA-based EV startup CODA Automotive, Inc., and worked at Toyota Motor Europe and McKinsey & Company.

Here's a sneak peek into the episode, which is all about Los Angeles: 👇👇👇

✅Who Framed Roger Rabbit and the dismantling of the Pacific Electric railcar system

✅Watts Uprising - how a community that had been one of the prime nodes of the Pacific Electric railcar system rioted, but kept the rail station intact, a telling reminder of the importance of mobility in people's lives

✅1984 Olympics - LA created a bus rapid transit system and changed commute patterns!

✅Why LA might be the 2nd city in the US to have congestion pricing!

✅How the 2028 Olympics are a nice to have in the existing plan to build a functioning metro system

Peter Griffiths helps people see and imagine cities differently. As an urban thought leader and city strategist, he most recently explored how the shared #micromobility sector can transition from start-up to critical infrastructure. 🛴🚝🚌🧑‍💻📈

Before this, he worked for The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) on the future of cities, supported The World Bank's Global Platform for Sustainable Cities, and consulted to cities across the UK and Europe on maximizing investment and brand opportunities. 🚀

This is an especially timely episode, given my new role at Head of Policy and Government Affairs at Drover AI! Peter and I will be covering various micromobility topics,including #Equity, #Operations, #Economics, #Fleets, #Hardware and #Safety.

Here's a sneak peek into the episode:

✅How has the micromobility market evolved since COVID?

✅What are the biggest hardware tech innovations in the sector?

✅How can micromobility deliver on equity goals and policies?

✅Are operators beginning to see a path to profitability in micromobility?

On the founding team at Lime, the world's largest electric micromobility company operating in over 250 markets globally, Andrew Savage helped lead the company from its inception through expansion across more than 30 countries while raising over $750 million in investment. Serving on the company’s executive team, Andrew built an organization which led Lime’s market development, government relations, and policy strategy before creating and leading the sustainability function at the company. Prior to Lime, he served on the executive team of an Inc. 500 solar manufacturer and renewable project developer where he spearheaded market-transforming policies, led new business development, and supported the company's national expansion. He was a twice-elected member to the Solar Energy Industries Association board of directors representing 1,000+ member businesses. While working in US Congress, Andrew helped author and lead the U.S. House of Representatives-passage of a $6 billion home energy retrofit program endorsed by President Barack Obama and included in the 2022 IRA. Andrew serves as an advisor to several impact start-ups, mentors at Harvard University’s iLab and Techstars, and is a past board member to several community non-profits.

Here's a sneak peek into the episode, which is all about sustainability in micromobility: 👇👇👇

✅What was micromobility and Lime like early on with cities and how has it changed/evolved?

✅How has Lime built the sustainability arm of the business?

✅What are the most important form factors in scooter and bike share design that encourage mode shift?

✅How can operators and cities strengthen partnerships to achieve better public policy?

✅Tell us about your mentoring work at Harvard’s iLab and Techstars, and how it strengthens the startup ecosystem

Carol Schweiger, President of Schweiger Consulting. Carol has over 40 years of experience, and is nationally and internationally recognised in transportation technology consulting. She has wide-ranging and in-depth expertise in several specialty areas, including technology strategies for public agencies, public transport technology, traveller information strategies and systems, and systems engineering.

We discussed a wide range of burning topics, such as: #PublicTransit, #Equity, #Microtransit, #MaaS, #ArtificialIntelligence, and #BigData. Here's a sneak peak into the podcast agenda:

• How can we get public transit back to basics (and put safety and operations first)?

• Microtransit and fixed route: what is the right mix for cities and suburbs?

• What is the current state of the industry in MaaS and where are we at in 2022

• How are innovations in AI/ML revolutionizing public transit data analysis?

The #CitiesFirst Advisors + Podcast is excited to launch our quarterly webinar series, with an all star lineup of guests and speakers. This webinar episode, "Women in Shared and Active Mobility" features mobility experts Sandra Witzel and Alex Carroll.

Here's a sneak peek into the episode, which is all about women in shared and active mobility: 👇👇👇

✅Please share recent shared mobility business models & success stories

✅What are the policy implications of active and shared mobility

✅Tell us about how to improve walkability in urban environments

✅What is most important for safety of women in public transport & shared mobility

✅Please share the latest active mobility infrastructure innovations

Veronica Vanterpool is the Federal Transit Administration’s Acting Administrator, assuming that role on February 24, 2024. Before that, she had served as Deputy Administrator since May 2022. She first joined FTA as Senior Advisor in August 2021.

As Acting Administrator, Ms. Vanterpool helps advance the goals of the Biden-Harris Administration related to equity, climate, innovation, safety and workforce development. She oversees policy priorities and objectives along with day-to-day operations of the 700-person agency.

She created FTA’s first Data Office, a new business line in the agency dedicated to data analysis, governance and communication. She also represents FTA on the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation and serves as a member of The White House Inter Policy Council on Puerto Rico.

Ms. Vanterpool came to FTA from Delaware Transit Corporation, where she served as the agency’s first Chief Innovation Officer. Her previous roles include being the Deputy Director of the national Vision Zero Network, executive director of the New York City based Tri-State Transportation Campaign and board member of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority

Having served on a number of boards, commissions, task forces and working groups, Ms. Vanterpool has 17 years of experience in advocacy, policy, media communications, public outreach, coalition building and issue campaigns. She is co-founder and former president of WTS Delaware; a member of Latinos In Transit, and a 2023 Awardee of COMTO Headquarters’ Women Who Moves the Nation. She was also selected to join the first cohort of the Biden Administration’s Presidential Leadership Workshop.

She is a native New Yorker born and raised in The Bronx.

Here's a sneak peek into the episode, which is all about federal public transit leadership: 👇👇👇

✅Tell us about how FTA delivers equity in public transit

✅How can we make public transit more accessible to all users

✅What are the latest innovations that can bring riders back to public transit

✅How has FTA leveraged the Infrastructure Bill to build back better

Thijn is based in Amsterdam and is a Venture Capital Investor at No Such Ventures and is responsible for portfolio management, fundraising, LP relations, internal operations, deal making, and deal flow management. Thijn is also the Founder of Check and led efforts across the organization such as operations (local, central, markets, analytics, hardware, launch), corporate development and legal. Thijn also currently advises and invests in Dockler B.V. and other startups. He was previously VC at Ponooc and Associate M&A and Junior Associate Equity & Debt Capital Markets at Linklaters. Trained as an attorney, Thijn graduated with both a Master of Laws (LL.M.) cum laude in Corporate and Commercial Law and a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from the European Law School at Maastricht University.Here's a sneak peek into the upcoming episode, which will be all about the “Dutch Way” of investing in mobility: 🇳🇱🚲💰👇👇👇

✅Why is the Netherlands (and Amsterdam in particular) such a dynamic ecosystem for mobility startups and investors?

✅Tell us about the “Dutch Way” of investing, and how the Triple Helix model of public/private/academic collaboration factors in?

✅What can founders learn from the post-COVID city, and refine their pitches to align with impactful mobility use cases?

✅How can cities more effectively align sustainable mobility plans (SUMPs) with private sector innovation and investment?

✅Tell us about No Such Ventures and your “No BS”, democratic approach to investing in EU startups?

Ross Douglas is a South African entrepreneur who started his career as a nature documentarian and filmmaker. He collaborated with William Kentridge to produce 9 Films for Projection, which was performed in New York’s Central Park, London’s Barbican Centre and Berlin’s Guggenheim New York. After starting an art event company he created the FNB Joburg Art Fair (2008), the world’s first African contemporary art fair and a key gathering for the African art community.Concerned about global warming, Ross turned his attentions to sustainability. As road transport is one of the largest carbon emissions contributors, he decided to create an event to gather emerging new mobility solutions dedicated to lowering emissions and congestion. Autonomy, launched in Paris in 2015, was the result. Ross chose Paris for its central location, strong transport sector and anti-emissions policies. Autonomy, now the largest urban mobility event in the world, hosts 200 exhibitors, 10,000 visitors and 100 cities – all dedicated to change the way we move in cities. Ross also advises major companies such as Nike, AXA and Toyota Motor Corporation on mobility disruption.

Here's a sneak peek into the upcoming episode, which will is all about transport decarbonization and sustainable mode shift: 👇👇👇

✅What are the latest trends in decarbonization of the transport sector

✅How has Paris emerged as a leader in shared and active mobility

✅Tell us about the 2025 Global Decarbonization Expo and program

✅How can cities across the globe implement the 15 Minute City at scale

✅Tell us about your professional journey from filmmaker to decarbonization influencer

Andrea Learned is the Founder of LEARNED ON, LLC. She is a sustainability-focused writer and communications strategist specializing in digital thought leadership. Her early career success in marketing to women, culminating with the publishing of her book, Don’t Think Pink, gives her current sustainability and leadership work an underlying gender lens as well. After a year serving as a We Mean Business Coalition social engagement strategist around COP21, Andrea has returned to her independent consultancy, and is back to leveraging her networks and guiding clients to leadership platforms for a carbon footprint-countering, positive collective impact.

Here's a sneak peek into the episode, which is all about sustainability: 👇👇

✅What are key strategies that cities can put in place to encourage active transportation?

✅How has Seattle positioned itself as a leader in shared mobility and tactical urbanism?

✅What are the main factors that reinforce the role of mobility as an urban change agent?

✅How can communities create safe and empowering public spaces for women?

✅Tell us about Learned On and your book Don't Think Pink

For our inaugural episode, we covered the topic of "Decarbonization of the Transport Sector", and were joined by industry experts Tiya Gordon (Co Founder & COO of itselectric), Jennifer Lenhart, PhD (Global Lead at WWF Cities), and Stephen Lorimer (Head of Clean Energy Cities at Centre for Net Zero (part of the Octopus Energy Group)).

Here's a sneak peek into the episode:

👇👇👇

✅How can we transform the transport sector to meet our decarbonization goals

✅What modes will get us to net zero quickest

✅How do we leverage electrification & autonomy tech for the greater good

✅Can we strengthen public transport and urban design to create a paradigm shift

Augustin Friedel is a Mobility Transformation Expert and Advisor and was previously responsible for the intermodality strategy at Volkswagen AG. Intermodality services at Volkswagen are defined as customer centric offerings in the three segments of Vehicle on Demand (VoD), Mobility on Demand (MoD) and Logistics. Before joining Volkswagen, Augustin was responsible for building and developing several MoD (e.g. Uber, ioki) and logistics (e.g. Zipjet) services in European cities. He is the founder of the online mobility magazine GetMobility, which was acquired by Deutsche Bahn in 2018. He has a Dipl.-Ing. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Technical University of Munich and spent some time at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 🛴🚝🚌🧑‍💻📈

Here's a sneak peek into the episode: 👇👇👇

✅How are European cities accommodating for mobility transformation in 2023

✅What are some of the latest trends in urban logistics & deliveries?

✅How can micromobility reinforce its value proposition to urban stakeholders

✅What's the latest in autonomous driving and who are the main industry players?

Ryan Russo is Principal at Together Projects, LLC. Widely recognized as an urban innovator, Ryan most recently served as the first Director of the Oakland Department of Transportation (OakDOT), where he led the new agency through its inaugural five years of operation.

Under Ryan's leadership, OakDOT quickly became a national model for incorporating equity into transportation planning, policy, programs and operations. A start-up in government, OakDOT was formed to pursue a vision of a more equitable, safer Oakland with improved access to housing, jobs, schools and services. From paving plans to emerging mobility, OakDOT worked to center racial equity in every organizational aspect and long-neglected communities are now being more authentically engaged and collaborating with government. Ryan also led OakDOT to launch quickly implemented programs to repurpose streets in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most notably, OakDOT’s “Slow Streets” initiative spurred cities around the country to designate neighborhood streets as shared spaces to serve critical community needs of the moment.

Previously, Ryan spent nearly 14 ground-breaking years at the New York City Department of Transportation, ultimately rising to the position of Deputy Commissioner and serving as an instrumental leader in the transformation of NYCDOT from a focus on moving cars and trucks to meeting the needs of residents, businesses and visitors. 🛴🚝🚌🧑‍💻📈

Here's a sneak peek into the episode: 👇👇👇

✅What mobility lessons learned from Oakland and New York City can be applied on an International scale?

✅How has COVID changed the power dynamics in urban and transportation planning?

✅Can slow streets be scaled as a permanent fixture of the built environment

✅What are your predictions for active and shared transportation in the post COVID city?

A first in many spaces Selika Josiah Talbott is known by her colleagues as an influential agent for positive change who leads with confidence and approaches the most difficult and complex challenges with perseverance and a commitment to success. As the Founder and CEO of Autonomous Vehicle Consulting Selika is a leading industry voice for responsible investment, engagement, and preparation for New Mobility including robot delivery, autonomous and electric vehicles, and self-driven freight. Selika served as the Deputy Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission as a Gubernatorial appointee. Most recently Selika served at the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration as the Senior Advisor to the Administrator.

If that wasn't enough, Selika also just published "The Sammie and Sally Mobility Series" with Lisa Bailey Lisa Bailey and Solutions 4 New Mobility Education to start the conversation, increase mobility education and prepare parents and children to move safely in society.

Amazon link: https://lnkd.in/gnk4Vfs8

Here's a sneak peek into the episode: 👇👇👇

✅What's the path forward for Vision Zero in the United States?

✅How can public and private stakeholder move past pilot project fatigue towards long term mobility solutions?

✅What are the most exciting use cases for autonomy in the next 24 months?

✅How did your recent children's book, Sammie and Sally Mobility Series come about?

Dr. Laura Narvaez Zertuche is an architect, urban designer, and a spatial scientist. She is a Partner in the Urban Design Group at Foster + Partners, where she leads people movement and data analytics within the firm since 2015. Her work incorporates evidence-based and research-led design that combines informed decision-making with simulation-powered design tools and strategic development of methodologies with their application to architecture and urban design. She has +17 years of experience working in urban design and master planning internationally, primarily in Mexico, UK, the Middle East and Asia. She is a specialist in assessing how issues such as pedestrian footfall, economic activity and social interactions will impact the viability, growth, and long-term evolution of projects, ranging from new cities to complex buildings. Laura works pro-bono as a contributor and advisor, and as a member of the Board of Directors of Urban AI -an international multi-disciplinary think-tank that investigates the ethical modes of governance and sustainable uses of artificial intelligence in cities. Laura is also a Lecturer at the Chair of Cognitive Sciences in ETH Zurich. She gained a MSc and PhD in Architecture and the Built Environment from the Space Syntax Laboratory at The Bartlett, UCL.

Here's a sneak peek into the episode, which is all about urbanism and AI: 👇👇👇

✅Tell us about your journey from academia to practice

✅What can AI tell us about the built environment and urban design

✅How do you approach technology when applied to the urban scale

✅What are some of the best examples of AI & machine learning in design

✅Tell us about Urban AI and latest contributions to the think tank

Lukas Neckermann is COO of Splyt and Managing Director of Neckermann Strategic Advisors. He is a strategist, advisor, researcher, and keynote speaker on Smart Cities and Smart Mobility. After coining the term, “The Mobility Revolution"​ in his 2014 book, Lukas followed up with three more books: "Corporate Mobility Breakthrough 2020", "Smart Cities, Smart Mobility", and "Being Driven". Lukas is an Advisor to Flock Cover, NEXT Future Transportation Inc., MSCI, SNRG, and other companies, as well as a GLG Council Member. He teaches at New York University and is a guest lecturer at the University of St.Gallen. He has co-founded companies in UK, US and Romania, held Director/Board of Management appointments at Allianz Group companies in the UK and Ireland and a marketing communications leadership role at BMW Group.

We discussed a wide range of burning topics, such as: #PublicTransit, #SuperApps, #Micromobility, #MaaS, #ArtificialIntelligence, and #BigData. Here's a sneak peak into the podcast agenda:

✅ What's next for OEMs and shared mobility 🚗

✅ How can superapps help to supercharge public transport 📱

✅ Is data the new gold, and how much can we "monetize the curb" 🔑

✅ How can AI / ML help us to readjust mobility for the post-COVID city 🌆

✅ What's on the horizon for micromobilty in 2023 🛴

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Jamey Tesler is currently the executive director of the just launched Mass Mobility Hub, a public benefit corporation with a mission to support the mobility sector and is looking to build community, support companies in their growth and accelerate change in this sector. Jamey is also a Visiting Fellow at the Taubman Center for State & Local Government at the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government. Previously, Jamey served as Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of MassDOT, where he was responsible for a fully multimodal state transportation department, oversaw the leadership of the MBTA and served on the board of the Massachusetts Port Authority. Jamey had previously served as Registrar of the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) in June of 2020, after serving in the role on an interim basis since June of 2019. Jamey has previously worked for more than 20 years in senior management roles in the public sector with experience in infrastructure, transit, sustainability, mobility, public finance, and public policy. Jamey has also served as General Counsel to the Office of the Massachusetts State Treasurer and Receiver General, Deputy Legal Counsel in the Office of the Governor, Deputy General Counsel for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), Acting Chief of Staff for the Secretary of Transportation, and as Chief Operating Officer at MassDOT.

Here's a sneak peek into the episode, which is all about mobility in Boston: 👇👇👇

✅What are the latest mobility innovations to emerge in Boston?

✅How can cities pilot new mobility tech, at scale?

✅Tell us about Mass Mobility Hub and the emerging ecosystem

✅How can startups sell to the public sector, and what are some best practices?

✅Tell us about your professional journey from attorney to mobility expert

Nico Larco is a Professor of Architecture at the University of Oregon, Director of the Urbanism Next Center at the University of Oregon and Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Sustainable Cities Initiative, a nationally and internationally awarded, multidisciplinary organization that focuses on sustainability issues as they relate to the built environment. Professor Larco’s research focus includes sustainable urban design and the impacts of emerging technology on cities. The Urbanism Next Center, which he leads, is focused on how technological advances such as autonomous vehicles, new mobility, e-commerce and the sharing economy are changing city form and development. Professor Larco has received numerous national and international awards for his work, has been a Distinguished Fulbright Association Scholar in Chile and in Spain, and was a visiting researcher at Delft University of Technology and TNO in the Netherlands. He is a licensed architect and has worked professionally in the fields of Architecture, Urban Design, Planning, and Development. Larco is the principal of Larco/Knudson, an urban design consulting practice in Portland which focuses on sustainable urban design and assisting with the resilience of projects in the face of rapidly changing technology.

Here's a sneak peek into the episode, which is all about urban mobility innovation: 👇👇👇

✅How has the urban mobility landscape evolved over the past five years

✅What are the latest mobility innovations transforming our built environments

✅How will autonomous vehicles be deployed at scale, and under which use cases

✅What are the key future-proofing techniques cities can leverage for new mobility

✅Tell us about your latest book, "Sustainable Urban Design Handbook"

Accomplished public official, economist, and administrator, Enrique Peñalosa completed his second term as Mayor of Bogota, Colombia in December 2019. While mayor, Peñalosa was responsible for numerous and radical improvements to the city and its citizens. He promoted a city model giving priority to children and public spaces and restricting private car use, building hundreds of kilometers of sidewalks, bicycle paths, pedestrian streets, greenways, and parks. After organizing a Car-Free Day in 2000, he was awarded the Stockholm Challenge Award and rewarded by a referendum vote endorsing an annual car-free day and the elimination of all cars from streets during rush hours from 2015 onwards,

Peñalosa also led efforts to improve Bogotá's marginal neighborhoods through citizen participation which involved planting more than 100,000 trees, creating a new and highly successful bus-based transit system, and turning a deteriorated downtown avenue into a dynamic pedestrian public space. He helped transform the city's attitude from one of hopelessness to one of pride, developing a model for urban improvement based on the equal access of all people to transportation, education, and public spaces.

Here's a sneak peek into the episode, which will is about Bogota and Enrique's new book, "Equality and the City: Urban Innovations for All Citizens": 👇👇👇

✅Tell us about how Bogota built environment has evolved during your two separate terms as mayor

✅How has Bogota's bike lane network become a global model for active transportation

✅What can North American and Europe learn from Latin American urbanism

✅How is the Transmilenio BRT network integrated with shared and active modes

✅Tell us about your new book "Equality and the City: Urban Innovations for All Citizens"

An advanced city is not one where the poor own a car, but one where the rich use public transport.” - Enrique Penalosa