Since 2022, the Tech and Innovation Series has been an essential resource for city leaders navigating the complex intersection of technology, infrastructure, and community needs. Through 28 webinars, this series has created a vital knowledge-sharing platform where municipal officials, technologists, and federal funders collaborate to solve real-world challenges facing America’s cities.
Building on the success of the larger Local Infrastructure Hub, the goals of the T&IC were specific. 1) Explore technology opportunities, risks, and questions related to current federal infrastructure funding, 2) offer insights and facilitate discussions to improve cities’ technology proposals, 3) help cities share technological advancements and public engagement strategies, and 4) connect city leaders with tech experts to enhance infrastructure through digital solutions.
What sets this series apart is its practical focus on moving beyond pilot projects to scalable solutions. In the first year of our programming, our LIH Tech and Innovation webinars focused on helping cities navigate the federal funding ecosystem, with many new funding opportunities made possible through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. Acting as a bridge, this series directly connected cities to federal funding agencies. The webinars provided crucial guidance on how to leverage technology effectively while avoiding common pitfalls by creating a network of municipal innovators who learn from each other. With the advent and subsequent ubiquity of artificial intelligence, we’ve expanded the scope of topics to explore emerging technologies impacting city infrastructure, with a focus on AI.
Additionally, there is continued strong engagement in our polls held during the webinars, some of which have highlighted growing interest in AI programs implemented at the city level. Based on survey results, attendees of this webinar series derive a great deal of value from these sessions. From our data, 94% of attendees report that these sessions have expanded their knowledge and understanding of these topics. Additionally, attendees feel better prepared to apply for programs and funding opportunities.
This series has also strengthened relationships between cities and federal agencies. Regular participation from the Department of Energy, Department of Transportation, and other federal officials has created direct channels for cities to understand funding opportunities and provide feedback on program design. Additionally, we’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback from federal partners who confirmed that this series yielded increasingly high-quality applications to NOFOs.
The measurable impact of this series extends far beyond webinar attendance numbers. In our view, the value of this series has to do with results on the ground. Cities have updated energy codes, implemented new cybersecurity protocols, and adopted AI governance frameworks based on series insights. Multiple cities have successfully secured federal grants after applying strategies learned through the webinars, from transit electrification to resilience projects. Cities have deployed new technologies—from apartment WiFi systems closing broadband gaps to AR applications improving public engagement in infrastructure planning. Additionally, the series has helped cities avoid costly mistakes by sharing lessons learned from early adopters and highlighting potential pitfalls in emerging technologies.
On behalf of Cornell Tech, we’d like to thank you for your support for this important program working to help cities across the country enhance their innovation capacity and improve service delivery for their residents.
Sincerely,
Michael Samuelian
Director, Urban Tech Hub
Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute