The #CitiesFirst Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

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"

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

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

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:

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✅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

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?

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?