Founding Director Jennifer Bradley speaks on the future of cities at the 2018 p4 Pittsburgh Summit, insisting "Cities Are For People," and city leaders must think beyond efficiency and ask harder questions about how cities and new technologies can support human flourishing and the creative contributions of all residents within them.

Like the first generation of cars in the 20th century, autonomous vehicles will have a powerful effect on the way cities are shaped, operated, and experienced in the coming decades. AVs will change not just transportation, but also land use, health, education, work, sustainability, and local finance. How can city leaders maximize the benefits and minimize the challenges of this technology? How can cities learn from the mistakes of the past and use AVs to improve the lives of all residents? This panel at South by Southwest 2018 featured Brian Kenner, Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, Washington, DC, Karina Ricks, Director, Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, Pittsburgh, PA, and Rob Spillar, Director, Department of Transportation, Austin, TX, and was moderated by Jennifer Bradley, Director, Center for Urban Innovation, The Aspen Institute.

Driverless cars may be the transportation of the future. But they're giving today's policymakers some consternation. Top officials from Austin, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C., outlined what they're doing to prepare for the rise of autonomous vehicles at a South by Southwest panel.

Driverless vehicles may seem unfamiliar now, but over the coming years you'll start to encounter - or even use them - on a daily basis. Will it mean the end of the driving licence and changes to the rules of the road?

What if the next great idea for transforming the lives of homeless people, restoring neighborhood economies, or moving people into middle-wage jobs, could be prototyped, tested, deployed, and funded like a Silicon Valley start-up? Simply put, that is the promise of urban innovation in America. This promise is only partially realized, however, because urban innovators struggle to get early-stage investment capital. Many entrepreneurs of color cannot draw on networks of wealthy family members and friends to seed their enterprises. The raw fact of the racial wealth gap hobbles founders who might have the greatest insights into urban challenges and underserved markets. In fact, at just about every stage, people of color have higher obstacles to accessing venture capital. What does it take to create truly inclusive innovation? What do we gain if we succeed? And what brilliant ideas are unrealized because we’re failing right now?

Speakers:
Jennifer Bradley, Gayle Jennings-O'Byrne at Aspen Ideas Festival 2016

Featuring DC Mayor Muriel Bowser in conversation with Aspen Institute President and CEO Walter Isaacson, and a distinguished panel including Mary Brown, Donna Harris, Sheila Herrling,and Daniel Winston, moderated by Jennifer Bradley, director of the Center for Urban Innovation, at Google DC.

A roundtable discussion on the role that leadership from across sectors played in revitalizing Detroit—with Matthew Cullen, Kevyn Orr, and Rip Rapson, moderated by Jennifer Bradley. Featured in the Winter 2017 edition of the Stanford Social Innovation Review.

Innovation is the driver of economic growth in the global economy, and cities and metropolitan areas are the wellspring of innovation. But the benefits of innovation and the resources that support innovation do not always reach all corners of the metropolis, and this exacerbates economic and social divisions that hinder our economy and weaken our communities. We can bridge this gap by cultivating the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit of people who live in underserved communities and recognizing them alongside more traditional or obvious urban innovators. Who are the urban innovators, and how can we make sure that the resources in cities that promote innovation are available to all residents, wherever they live?

Speakers:
Rip Rapson, Jennifer Bradley, Alexa Clay, and Peter Hirshberg at Aspen Ideas Festival 2015

The data is overwhelming: The place where a child is born and grows up has enormous impact on everything from access to quality education to chances at upward mobility to life expectancy. In the neighborhood where rioting broke out in Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray, the unemployment rate is near 20 percent. Fewer than 60 percent of Baltimore’s high school students receive a diploma. The reasons are complex, and they’re not limited to Baltimore. But if the place where one lives, especially as a child, has such an outsized influence on outcome of one’s life, how do we make all places into places of opportunity? What will it take to create thriving and sustainable economies, inspiring and inventive schools, and safe, nurturing, and supportive neighborhoods across all of Baltimore, Detroit, Newark, and similar cities? How can we extend the reach of the American dream?

Speakers:
Jennifer Bradley, Sanda Balaban, Angela Glover Blackwell and Rip Rapson at Aspen Ideas Festival 2015

What are the benefits and what are the costs when high performing government offices spin out to be revenue generating or non-profit organizations?

CityLab 2015