The #CitiesFirst Podcast

As the mobility sector looks beyond innovation and pilot projects, a bigger question is emerging: How do we move toward real-world deployment, integration, and measurable impact? Following the momentum of ITS European Congress 2026 in Istanbul, CitiesFirst Webinar #4 brings together leading city and mobility voices for a focused discussion on what Birmingham 2027 must deliver. 📍 From Istanbul to...

🚨 Cities don’t just pilot innovation — they need to scale it. Listen to Webinar 3 in The #CitiesFirst Advisors + Podcast × ERTICO - ITS Europe × ITS Congresses series:🎯 From Pilot to Scale: Deploying Integrated Mobility Systems – Insights from Istanbul As cities move beyond pilots, the real challenge begins: deployment at scale. This session brings together senior city leaders and mobility exper...

🚨 Cities are shaping the future of intelligent mobility — from strategy to real implementation! Listen to Webinar 2 in the The #CitiesFirst Advisors + Podcast × ERTICO - ITS Europe x ITS Congresses series:🎯 Cities Shaping Intelligent Mobility: From Strategy to Integrated and Seamless Systems This session brought together leading experts to explore how cities are integrating digital infrastructur...

Cities are no longer just testing mobility innovation — they are shaping Europe’s deployment agenda. Across Europe, public authorities are moving from pilots to permanent solutions, balancing legacy systems with the pressure to deliver scalable, people-centred mobility. As cities take on a stronger leadership role, one question matters most: how do we turn innovation into long-term impact at city...

Safer Streets. Smarter Cities. Better Lives. 🌍 Traffic fatalities and serious injuries are not inevitable — they’re preventable. The global #VisionZero movement is transforming how we plan, design, and manage transportation systems to put people first and prioritize life and well-being. I recently contributed a guest post for PTV Group , exploring how Vision Zero is driving the journey toward zer...

We’re thrilled to share the latest episode of the #CitiesFirst Advisors + Podcast , featuring Michael Oliver, Technical Director at PTV Group . 🌍 🎙 Episode Topic: Shaping Transport with Digital Twins Digital twins are transforming the way cities plan, operate, and optimize their transport systems. In this episode, Michael dives into how this cutting-edge technology is driving smarter, more resili...

Urban resilience isn’t optional—it’s essential. As climate change, rapid growth, and aging infrastructure reshape our cities, the question isn’t if we should build resilience—it’s how. Join us for The #CitiesFirst Advisors + Podcast LinkedIn Live webinar, in partnership with PTV Group and Econolite 🎙 Designing Resilient Cities: Strategies for a Future-Ready Urban World📅 Wednesday, September 10 |...

🚨 Join Us LIVE — Data & AI in Urban Mobility 📅 Thursday, August 28 🕔 4:30 PM GMT+1 📍 LinkedIn Live How can cities harness data and AI to build smarter, more accessible, and more efficient transport networks? EIT Urban Mobility - Urban Mobility Explained (UMX) invites you to a special LinkedIn Live webinar in collaboration with The #CitiesFirst Advisors + Podcast . We’ll hear from city lead...

EIT Urban Mobility - Urban Mobility Explained (UMX) invites you to a special LinkedIn Live webinar in collaboration with The #CitiesFirst Advisors + Podcast. We’ll hear from city leaders and innovators shaping the next wave of urban transport. 🎙️ Julie White — Deputy Secretary for Multimodal Transportation, NCDOT 🎙️ Venkatesh Gopal — CEO, movmi 🎙️ Darius Mason — Shared Mobility Specialist, City of...

How will autonomous vehicles shape the cities of tomorrow? EIT Urban Mobility - Urban Mobility Explained (UMX) is proud to sponsor an exclusive LinkedIn Live webinar in partnership with The #CitiesFirst Advisors + Podcast . We’ll explore the evolving landscape of hashtag#AVs , shared mobility, electrification, and public policy with three visionary leaders driving change: 🎙️ Henriette Cornet , CEO...

Peter Schenkman, COO of Fernhay Solutions is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in the transportation industry. As a former senior transportation commissioner in City of New York , he has been at the forefront of sustainable mobility conversations worldwide. His achievements include championing electric vehicles (EVs), zero-emission buses (ZEBs), and micro-mobility solutions. Peter...

David Smith, is currently the Complete Streets Director at the Chicago Department of Transportation overseeing the planning and design of infrastructure projects and policy development. David is responsible for the implementation of our citywide bicycle network, pedestrian safety improvements, and developing policies to improve mobility for all Chicagoans. Vision Zero Chicago team leader working w...

Dr Kristina Gaučė has over 17 years’ experience in mobility/transport analysis and urban transport policy making, starting with the European Commission project STEP by STEP in 2003, following with transport development feasibility studies, participation in European projects (MAX, EPOMM-PLUS, ENDURANCE, EVIDENCE, numerous Interreg and UNDP projects and initiatives), representing these projects in L...

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...

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 con...

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 s...

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 busines...

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 metho...

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...

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 sidew...

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 wor...

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 relation...

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. Thi...

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 Bus...

Daniel is Founder & Owner of Urban Dynamics - design | planning | research | reflection (Porto and Amsterdam) and Director of the Future Design of Street - association , a platform for street design - improving streets as a social, natural and mobility space. Daniel works as an urban designer, planner and researcher at several spatial and urban assignments, projects studies, this from the leve...