CIV:LAB

That’s a wrap on the 2024 Urban Tech Summit!?? It was so wonderful to be a part of the CIV:LAB-Cornell Tech-Emergence Creative team to bring this event to life. Connecting leaders across industry, government, nonprofit, CBOs, and private sector to discuss climate hazards and risks and climate adaptation. ??Yesterday, I had the privilege of speaking with Jen Hensley on stage about grid resilience and the clean energy transition. ??The AI Empower workshop also allowed us at CIV:LAB and our collaborators at Unified Ground and Haviland Software to beta test the components of the toolkit we are developing to support climate and EJ CBOs to utilize AI to streamline and advance their work. ??CIV:LAB’s Environmental Justice Networking Breakfast provided space for meaningful conversation about the barriers and opportunities to implement climate adaptation tech in EJ communities. The climate crisis is here and the effects are inevitable; however, we have solutions we need to address them and to adapt. It’s important to bring together stakeholders across sectors and geographies to understand not only how to implement these solutions but more importantly to enable the deployment of community-centered climate solutions. I’m leaving the summit excited to explore collaborations with many of the incredible leaders I got to meet and to continue this important work! #climateadaptation #environmentaljustice

I'm gearing up and excited to emcee Day 1 of the 2024 Urban Tech Summit at Cornell Tech next week. Now our 4th year on Roosevelt Island, we are focusing on groundbreaking climate adaptation technologies for urban resilience. Day 1 dives into innovative applications of AI in climate adaptation, exploring how generative AI and digital twins are transforming flood prediction, urban climate modeling, and resilient infrastructure design. We’ll discuss real-world applications of these technologies, such as using AI to simulate extreme weather impacts and optimize urban planning for a changing climate. On Day 2, we’ll kick off with a CIV:LAB-hosted breakfast, bringing together leading climate funders, foundations, philanthropies, Community-Based Organizations, and other key stakeholders for powerful discussions on funding and advancing community-based climate adaptation. If you’re interested in collaborating in this breakfast, please reach out to me for sponsorship opportunities to be part of this impactful gathering. After the breakfast, we’ll turn our focus to how AI is reshaping critical urban systems, with panels covering advancements in building systems, energy grids, transit networks, and logistics systems. Experts will discuss AI-driven solutions for optimizing energy efficiency, enhancing building resilience, and making urban spaces more adaptive to climate challenges. This summit offers a unique opportunity for professionals across sectors to connect and collaborate on the future of sustainable, climate-resilient cities—don't miss out on this transformative conversation. Both regular and premier 2-day conferences passes are available at https://bit.ly/3TTUAI #UTS2024 #AI #SmartCities #UrbanInnovation #ResilientCities #FutureOfUrbanTech #climateadaptation

The countdown begins—the 2024 Urban Tech Summit is less than two weeks away! Don’t miss your chance to join us for insights into how AI technologies are transforming cities and building more resilient urban environments. Both regular and premier 2-day conferences passes are available at https://bit.ly/3TTUAIP Secure your spot today to hear from leaders at the forefront of urban innovation. #UTS2024 #AI #SmartCities #UrbanInnovation #ResilientCities #FutureOfUrbanTech

Last week, I moderated a panel discussion on urban innovation in NY and cities across the US at the German American Chamber of Commerce, Inc. conference on "Transatlantic Insights into Smart Cities & Sustainable Mobility." A big takeaway for me was the need for partnerships, collaboration, and meaningful community engagement to deploy technology in cities effectively. Shoutout to Jeannette Williams, Olivia M., and Matteo Del Sorbo for participating in the conversation and to Victoria Kaeser and the GACC team for organizing a successful event!

?? Last week, Helena Monteiro represented CIV:LAB at a Grow London Roundtable, where climate industry experts focused on gathering recommendations for green finance growth strategies. It was inspiring to see diverse ideas from different sectors, but we were proud to highlight CIV:LAB’s unique approach—emphasizing local action, grassroots organizations, and #climate education. ?? Our perspective added valuable insights to the conversation. We believe that place-based and community-driven solutions are vital to deriving meaningful climate progress. #ClimateFinance #LocalAction #ClimateEducation #CommunityImpact #GreenFinance #ClimateAction #GrassrootsInnovation #ClimateResilience #SustainableFuture

?? We’re thrilled to have had the opportunity to attend a Private Sector Consultation hosted by Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in the San Francisco Bay Area earlier this month. The event brought together experts from the #privatesector, #policymakers, #academics, and #communityleaders to discuss the intersection of technology transformations and urban development. We're proud to be part of this important dialogue shaping the future of cities! ?? #UrbanInnovation #UrbanDevelopment #TechTransformation #SmartCities #PolicyAndTech #FutureOfCities

?? ?? 2 Weeks Later, belated #ClimateWeekNYC reflections ?? ?? Climate Week NYC is usually a time of dualities for me: between optimism and cynicism, between the highest and lowest energy (networking and introverts do not mix well!), and between forward movement and status quo. This year, two themes that were top of mind for me and featured prominently in almost all conversations I participated in were Trust and Power. I had the opportunity to explore these from the perspective of developing and implementing CIV:LAB’s Climate Fund as a part of a session on “Fostering a collaborative ecosystem for Climate and Sustainability leaders” hosted by Deloitte. Collaboration is critical to furthering the scale and impact of climate action, and two questions I think are important to ask oneself no matter what position you occupy in an ecosystem are: - What is the nature of the power that I hold, and how might I distribute it to other parts of my ecosystem? - What is the degree of trust I have in my collaborators, and how does that impact the work being carried out? It was great to see so many amazing organizations thinking about the role of cross-sectoral collaboration in this way through the week (shout out Luminary Labs, Giving Green, HSBC). We saw a true spectrum of people and organizations come together in our own Climate Community Cocktails happy hour co-hosted with Cornell Tech, Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners (SIP), Uptake Alliance at Civic Hall. (Yes I did, in fact, wear the same coat to everything, but it was an effective conversation starter!) Now that we’re two weeks out, how is everyone taking the insights and conversations forward into your work? Shout out to all friends, old and new, and collaborators: simon sylvester-chaudhuri Alex Bell Allison Lucas Jee-Ho Kang Adel Ramdani David Gilford Michael Samuelian Sander Dolder Mina Hoti Seema Shah Arif Ullah Damaris Reyes Kaila Wilson Jonathan Lane Henry Obispo Jad Daley Troy Armour Matt Scott Susan Goldsmith Lisa Newman-Wise Sara Holoubek Jess Song Anushree Sreedhar Jamil Ellis Karl Haviland

Excited to share a first look at the Urban Tech Summit program. Join us as we explore innovative tech solutions for resilient cities! #UTS2024 #UrbanTechSummit #ClimateAdaptation

Last week, we had the pleasure of co-hosting the NYC #climate community for an evening of connection and celebration with those driving change and building a sustainable future, in partnership with Cornell Tech, Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners (SIP), and Uptake Alliance. Thanks to everyone who joined us and to Civic Hall for making this #ClimateWeek #HappyHour one to remember. We look forward to the next opportunity to continue these important conversations and hope to see you at this year’s Urban Tech Summit in November!???? #ProfessionalDevelopment #CommunityBuilding #Networking

?? It's Climate Week — but for us, this is more than just a week, it's a call to action. This week, and every week, we’re focused on building connections and advancing initiatives that make a real impact on our environment and communities. We are committed to fostering innovative and collaborative solutions to the climate crisis at the local level. Let’s continue to champion meaningful change, together!? ?#ClimateWeek #Sustainability #CommunityImpact ?? Photo: Sanctuary Farms