civic-infrastructure-collaborative

CMAP Releases Comprehensive Climate Action Plan for Greater Chicago

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 21:48:23 GMT

Climate Action Plan is the first regional framework to address all major sources of greenhouse gas emissions across a 13-county area spanning Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin.

Contact:

Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning | info@cmap.illinois.gov

Click here for the Comprehensive Climate Plan for Greater Chicago press release.

Prefer a podcast? Click on the media player below for an AI-generated briefing on the plan (23 minutes).

CMAP: Greater Chicago is at a turning point - climate change is no longer a distant threat but a daily reality, with stronger storms, flooding, dangerous heat, and worsening air quality across the region.

These impacts strain infrastructure, raise costs for families and businesses, and threaten public health and economic stability. At the same time, the global economy is rapidly shifting toward clean energy. Regions that act decisively now will be best positioned to attract investment, create jobs, and remain competitive.

To meet this moment with urgency and purpose, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), in partnership with the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus and the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission, developed the Comprehensive Climate Action Plan for Greater Chicago .

CMAP's Comprehensive Climate Action Plan for Greater Chicago sets an economywide target to reduce gross GHG emissions 48% by 2035 and 86% by 2050, compared to 2005 levels.

Additional scenarios contemplate gross emission reductions that would result from implementing current policies (baseline - 36% reduction by 2050 vs. 2005 emissions), and implementation of plan recommendations that can be fully implemented by state and local actors (58% reduction by 2050 vs. 2005 emissions).

About the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) is a regional government planning agency that works on behalf of the 7 counties, 284 municipalities, and 8.6 million residents of northeastern Illinois.

CMAP is the state-authorized regional planning agency and federally designated metropolitan planning organization (MPO). State law gives CMAP the responsibility to effectively address development and transportation challenges in northeastern Illinois through streamlined, consolidated regional planning and integrated plans for land use and transportation. As the MPO, CMAP is responsible for allocating federal transportation funds and managing the transportation planning process.

Learn more at https://cmap.illinois.gov .

About Civic Infrastructure Collaborative

Civic Infrastructure Collaborative drives public value from core urban infrastructure through cross-sector partnership and technology-enabled innovation. As a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, the Collaborative uses a proven methodology to identify, develop, deploy, and scale inclusive infrastructure solutions. We help infrastructure asset owners, operators, public officials, technology providers, and other stakeholders to deliver economic, social, and environmental returns for the communities they serve.

Learn more at www.InfrastructureForward.org .

Illinois Alliance for Clean Transportation Recognizes CINCO for Infrastructure Innovation

Thu, 11 Dec 2025 21:36:01 GMT

CINCO Joins Other Regional Leaders to Celebrate Advances in Clean Fleets, Infrastructure, Education, and Community Engagement at Annual IACT Awards

Contact:

Civic Infrastructure Collaborative | Innovate@InfrastructureForward.org

Click here for the Illinois Alliance for Clean Transportation press release.

In its annual sustainable transportation award ceremony on December 11, the Illinois Alliance for Clean Transportation (IACT) recognized Civic Infrastructure Collaborative (CINCO) for its work with cross-sector partners on the Millennium Gateway EV Charging Hub in downtown Chicago.

IACT applauded CINCO and Millennium Garages for their commitment to innovation in infrastructure, awarding the underground parking complex its prestigious Infrastructure Innovation Award. Operating as a public-private partnership with the City of Chicago, Millennium Garages has emerged as a regional and national leader in energy efficiency, electric vehicle (EV) charging, and multi-modal mobility.

Spanning 12 square city blocks adjacent to Chicago’s central business district, Millennium Garages serves as a pivotal hub for residents, commuters, visitors, and businesses alike. Since the enactment of Illinois’ Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), Millennium Garages has prioritized energy efficiency, earning recognition as Illinois’ Largest Public EV Charging Hub. Boasting 100 level 2 charging ports, it stands as the Midwest’s premier public EV charging facility.

“We are thrilled to honor Millennium Garages for its transformative contributions to sustainable urban mobility,” says Samantha Bingham, co-coordinator for the Illinois Alliance for Clean Transportation. “Their commitment to electric vehicle infrastructure aligns seamlessly with our collective goals for a cleaner, greener future.”

In partnership with CINCO, ComEd, and multiple EV charging platforms, Millennium Garages is pioneering replicable and scalable models for EV infrastructure planning. The parking complex is actively exploring grid-connected batteries, demand response, and other initiatives to enhance electric grid reliability. Beginning Q4 2023, 25% of Millennium Garages’ electricity will be sourced from certified renewable wind energy, ensuring that EV charging is powered by clean energy.

Millennium Garages engages the community through awareness campaigns, leveraging email newsletters, green EV charging lighting, and EV charging hub tours/events. The Millennium Gateway Innovation Lab, launched in 2020, serves as a cross-sector consortium exploring new uses for urban parking facilities through technology and innovation.

The EV Charging Testbed, a joint effort with Civic Infrastructure Collaborative, and SP+ has proven successful, resulting in the funding of an expansion project to increase EV charging stations to 100+.

The outcome, as reflected in 2023 metrics, includes 19,500 charging sessions, 410 MwH of energy dispensed, and a significant environmental impact, avoiding 260 metric tons of CO2 and enabling 1.3 million EV miles traveled.

CINCO executive director Jamie Ponce receives the Illinois Alliance for Clean Transportation's annual award for Infrastructure Innovation.

About Illinois Alliance for Clean Transportation

Illinois Alliance for Clean Transportation (IACT), formerly known as Chicago Area Clean Cities, is one of more than 75 coalitions across the country affiliated with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities program. IACT's mission is to advance energy, economic, and environmental security of the U.S. by supporting the reduction of petroleum consumption. IACT brings together stakeholders to reduce emissions in the transportation sector through the use of zero-emission and low-emission vehicles.

Learn more at https://il-act.org/about/ .

About Millennium Garages

Millennium Garages is a publicly owned, privately operated infrastructure joint venture that spans 3.8 million square feet in downtown Chicago. Under an exclusive, long-term operating concession, Millennium Garages is using technology and business partnerships to expand its role as a transportation gateway to downtown Chicago. With more than 9,000 parking spaces in four adjacent facilities, Millennium Garages offers daily, monthly, and long-term parking for Chicago commuters, residents, visitors, and fleet customers.

Learn more at www.MillenniumGarages.com .

About Civic Infrastructure Collaborative

Learn more at www.InfrastructureForward.org .

About the Millennium Gateway Innovation Lab

The Millennium Gateway Innovation Lab envisions urban parking real estate as a gateway to other transportation modes and commerce. Launched in partnership with Millennium Garages, SP+, Arrive, the National Parking Association, the International Parking & Mobility Institute, and the City of Chicago, the Lab pursues scalable solutions to expand access to public transit and other mobility options, enable smart infrastructure management, and demonstrate other value-added space uses.

CINCO Partners Announce Plans for 300 EV Chargers in Downtown Chicago

Wed, 04 Oct 2023 13:34:08 GMT

On October 3, ComEd joined Civic Infrastructure Collaborative (CINCO) at Millennium Garages to highlight the first 100 electric vehicle (EV) chargers installed as part of a plan to offer up to 300 total EV chargers at the downtown Chicago parking complex by 2026. This expansive EV charging hub is made possible through technical and operational support from ComEd, Civic Infrastructure Collaborative, SP+ Corporation, and multiple EV charging partners. ComEd recently awarded $200,000 in energy efficiency incentives to support Millennium Garages in lowering its energy usage, reducing carbon emissions, and freeing up electrical capacity for clean transportation.

"ComEd is committed to working with customers and our partners from across the state to accelerate the adoption of EVs, which can help lower pollution and bring cleaner air into our communities," said Melissa Washington, SVP of Customer Operations and Chief Customer Officer. "Millennium Garages' work to convert savings from ComEd's energy efficiency programs into the buildout of the largest EV charging hub in the Midwest will expand charging options for Chicago's residents, visitors and commuters, putting us closer to our clean transportation goals."

Millennium Garages' four underground facilities include more than 9,000 parking spaces in the heart of the Chicago Loop.

With 100 level-2 EV chargers , Millennium is already the region's largest public EV charging hub, and it plans to triple EV charging capacity by 2026. The garages feature a variety of charging options for customers, including EVPassport, ChargePoint, FlashParking and Tesla. All EV charging at Millennium Garages will be powered by certified renewable wind energy.

"In partnership with ComEd and the City of Chicago, we are proud to expand charging access for local residents, commuters, visitors, and fleets," said Jamie Ponce, Millennium Garages' Chief Innovation & Strategy Officer. "Millennium makes it easy to go electric while making the most of our world-class city. As Chicago returns to in-person work and play, our EV charging program highlights how urban infrastructure can support important transportation, energy, and economic development opportunities."

The number of EVs on the road are on the rise in Illinois today, a key goal outlined in the state's Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA). ComEd and Millennium Garages are supporting the State's goal of opening Illinois' roads to one million EVs by 2030. Currently, there are 70,000 EVs in northern Illinois, nearly 23,000 of which are registered in Cook County. Demand for EVs and EV charging is expected to climb steadily in the years ahead.

"We are delighted about this large installation of chargers in a prominent location in the heart of Chicago at Millennium Garage's underground parking facility," said Megha Lakhchaura, State of Illinois EV Officer. "This is a testament to the growing popularity of electric vehicles and we commend Millennium Garages and ComEd for investing in their customers to align with the state's goals to accelerate the transition to zero-emission vehicles and fight climate change."

By reducing energy consumption and utility costs, efficiency efforts at Millennium Garages and other facilities have enabled increased investment in EV charging and clean energy. With more than $200,000 in energy efficiency incentives from ComEd, Millennium Garages recently completed ventilation and building automation system upgrades to reduce annual energy consumption by an estimated two gigawatt-hours—the equivalent of eliminating 3.1 million pounds of carbon emissions a year.

"Whether it's securing billions of dollars in new EV investment and jobs for Illinois' communities or building one of the most robust EV charging networks in the country, and thanks to the investments in our electric grid and infrastructure, Illinois and Chicago are well-positioned to be national leaders in our electric vehicle transition for years to come," said Jack Lavin, President & CEO, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce. "We applaud Millenium Garages, ComEd, and our partners in government for coming together to build the largest EV charging hub in Midwest and we look forward to continuing to work together to drive the sustainable economic development opportunities being made possible through our transition to an EV future."

Expanding clean energy options that lower carbon emissions and generate energy savings is a central tenet of the state's Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) law, which directs investments to accelerate EV adoption and energy efficiency programs to help customers lower carbon emissions. ComEd customers have achieved over $8 billion in savings on their energy bills since the award-winning ComEd Energy Efficiency program launched in 2008. These efforts play a role in offsetting harmful carbon emissions, improving air quality, and helping to reverse the impacts of climate change.

"As we work towards a cleaner, healthier future, we are encouraged to see the expansion of the Midwest's largest public EV charging hub. This initiative aligns perfectly with our mission to improve air quality and reduce pollution, as electric vehicles play a crucial role in reducing harmful emissions," said Harold Wimmer, President and CEO of the American Lung Association. "A transition to clean, zero-emission vehicles would have a dramatic impact on the air quality and health of Illinois residents. By providing convenient and accessible charging options, we are taking significant steps towards a greener, more sustainable Chicago."

"Our Climate Action Plan sets aggressive goals for electrifying transportation in Chicago, including electric vehicles," said Angela Tovar, City of Chicago Chief Sustainability Officer. "We are fortunate to have forward-thinking partners like the Millennium Garages working to help us meet those goals and to improve our city's air quality at the same time."

"In addition to strongly supporting public transit, walking, and biking, prioritizing EV adoption is a critical part of Chicago's goals to reduce transportation carbon emissions," said Acting Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) Tom Carney. "The expansion of Midwest's largest public EV charging hub at Millennium Garages complements the City's ongoing efforts to build out EV infrastructure and will help make going electric a more convenient option for Chicago's residents and visitors."

"IACT encourages the use of clean fuel vehicles, clean fuels, and advanced vehicle technologies to promote cleaner air, improve the environment, energy efficiencies, domestic and renewable fuels, and a reduction in the use of imported petroleum," said John Walton, Chair of Illinois Alliance for Clean Transportation (IACT). "Millennium Garages' EV charging program and the collaboration with ComEd to expand electrification across northern Illinois will play a role in helping us to achieve all of the above."

EV charging at Millennium Garages follows ComEd's ongoing work across the region as they develop solutions to electrify fleet vehicles and embrace cleaner technologies. To accelerate EV adoption and to help more customers achieve their sustainability goals, ComEd recently announced a $231 million investment in electrification , with plans for new rebates, rates and pilot studies to help more customers move toward EVs and higher efficiency technology upgrades, like heat pumps, at home.

"The commitment today by Millennium Garages and ComEd serves as a great model in how we can leverage our parking infrastructure to decarbonize in a way that provides real benefit to all," said Brian Imus, Executive Director of the Illinois Green Alliance, a nonprofit that promotes green building technology and design. "This investment is an important one to spotlight because it reminds us that no building, including parking garages, can be left behind if we are to achieve our region's ambitious climate goals."

For more on how ComEd is helping customers unlock the benefits of electrification and EVs, please visit www.ComEd.com/EV . To learn about EV charging at Millennium Garages, please visit www.MillenniumGarages.com/ElectricVehicles .

About Civic Infrastructure Collaborative

Learn more at www.InfrastructureForward.org

About Millennium Garages

Millennium Garages is a publicly owned, privately operated infrastructure joint venture that spans 3.8 million square feet in downtown Chicago. As the largest downtown public underground parking system in North America, Millennium Garages is using technology and cross-sector partnerships to enable vehicle electrification and expand transportation options. With more than 9,000 parking spaces in four downtown facilities, Millennium Garages offers daily, monthly, and long-term parking for Chicago commuters, residents, visitors, and fleet customers. For more information, visit www.MillenniumGarages.com and connect with Millennium Garages on Facebook , and Instagram .

Learn more at www.MillenniumGarages.com

About ComEd

ComEd is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NASDAQ: EXC), a Fortune 250 energy company with approximately 10 million electricity and natural gas customers – the largest number of customers in the U.S. ComEd powers the lives of more than 4 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state's population.

For more information visit ComEd.com , and connect with the company on Facebook , Twitter , Instagram and YouTube .

About the Millennium Gateway Innovation Lab

CINCO Executive Director Jamie Ponce with Chicago business, civic, and environmental leaders to announce EV charging infrastructure expansion at Millennium Garages.

19KW Level-2 electric vehicle charger at Millennium Garages

Civic Infrastructure Collaborative and Partners Study Benefits of Multi-modal Integration at Chicago's Millennium Garages

Wed, 02 Nov 2022 14:00:01 GMT

Chicago, IL: Civic Infrastructure Collaborative, in collaboration with Millennium Garages, Argonne National Laboratory, Ridy and SP+ have launched a first of its kind collaboration to integrate multiple modes of transportation with off-street parking and study the impacts on traffic, congestion and greenhouse gas emissions. To begin the study, the collaboration launched a pilot integrating off-street parking with electric scooters. The team will analyze how the integration of these modes impacts customer travel patterns, customer mode choice, traffic, congestion and greenhouse gas emissions.

Driven by advances in technology (battery, mobile payments, smartphones, etc.) and the need for affordable last mile transportation solutions, the number of electric mobility options has multiplied in recent years. Connecting parking and other modes of transportation (park n’ ride, airport parking lots, etc.) has long been a focus for facility owners, operators and municipalities. Electric mobility hubs connecting electrified modes of transportation represent an evolution of this idea, promising significant benefits to travelers, commuters and the environment.

Civic Infrastructure Collaborative, Millennium Garages, Argonne National Laboratory, Ridy and SP+ have launched a dedicated eScooter fleet to connect parking customers to their final destinations in downtown Chicago. The eScooters are free to ride for Millennium Garages parking customers for up to 10 hours. Located in Lakeside Garage at 300 East Monroe Street, the team launched an 8 vehicle fleet, with the potential to expand to additional vehicles, facilities and modes.

Millennium Garages is the largest underground parking facility in North America. Its proximity to downtown locations and early leadership in vehicle electrification provide a premier testbed for electric mobility solutions. Millennium Garages is located underneath Millennium Park, Grant Park and Maggie Daley Park, near multiple modes of transportation (CTA, Metra, bike-share, bus, etc.) and downtown locations (central business district, cultural attractions, theater and music venues, etc.) Commuters, tourists and residents can park once at Millennium Garages, then reach their final destination via adjacent modes of transportation. Millennium Garages is an early leader in supporting vehicle electrification, recently announcing additional their expansion of electric vehicle charging infrastructure .

Argonne National Laboratory , under the US Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office SMART Mobility Consortium, is funding the eScooter pilot and will analyze information gathered during the pilot to understand how mobility systems may evolve in the future and the potential of scaling up the deployment. In this project, Argonne will leverage its transportation system simulation tools and qualitative survey responses to produce recommendations on how mobility solutions can be systematically integrated with off-street parking facilities to benefit dense urban areas, like the Chicago Loop.

Chicago-based e-mobility solution provider Ridy operates the eScooter fleet. Ridy is an industry leader in dedicated micromobility solutions, providing eScooter and eBike fleets, technology and micromobility charging infrastructure to commercial real-estate customers and corporate campuses. RIDY charging stations provide parking and safe charging for eScooters. The Ridy vehicles have a range of up to 30 miles when fully charged, allowing riders to access to the entire Chicago Loop area and beyond. The eScooters are equipped with a cable lock for riders to lock-to bike racks or other fixed objects while not in use.

Millennium Garages’ mobility efforts are part of Civic Infrastructure Collaborative’s Millennium Gateway Innovation Lab , a cross-sector effort launched in 2020 to develop technology-enabled infrastructure solutions and to integrate parking more fully into urban transportation systems. In addition to Millennium Garages, the Lab’s founding members and strategic partners include national parking and mobility technology leader SP+ Corporation , last-mile mobility solutions provider Arrive , the National Parking Association , the International Parking & Mobility Institute , and the City of Chicago.

About Civic Infrastructure Collaborative

Learn more at www.InfrastructureForward.org

About Millennium Garages

Learn more at www.MillenniumGarages.com

About Argonne National Laboratory

Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology. The nation’s first national laboratory, Argonne conducts leading-edge basic and applied scientific research in virtually every scientific discipline. With employees from more than 60 nations, Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science . Argonne Transportation decarbonization research focuses on all aspects including electrification, connectivity and automation, mobility.

Learn more about Transportation decarbonization at https://vms.taps.anl.gov/

About Ridy

RIDY is a Chicago-based sustainability startup providing dedicated micromobility solutions (eScooters and eBikes), technology and micromobility charging infrastructure to commercial real-estate (offices, apartments, hotels, garages) and corporate campuses as a transportation amenity. RIDY's mission is to create happier, healthier and connected communities and Ridy is leading a new wave of mobility innovation by embedding electric vehicles in places where we live, work, play and park. RIDY’s premium micromobility charging stations are manufactured in United States and provide parking and safe charging for all types of eScooters and eBikes. Ridy’s solutions are currently used in several markets across United States by top real-estate customers and employers like Tishman Speyer, Hines, Alexandria Real Estate, Rubenstein Partners, Millennium Garages, Amazon, Roku and more.

Learn more at www.rideridy.com

About SP+

SP+ facilitates the efficient movement of people, vehicles and personal belongings with the goal of enhancing the consumer experience while improving bottom line results for our clients. The Company provides technology-driven mobility solutions, professional parking management, ground transportation, remote baggage check-in and handling, facility maintenance, security, and event logistics to aviation, commercial, hospitality, healthcare and government clients across North America.

Learn more at www.spplus.com

About the Millennium Gateway Innovation Lab

eScooter on the Chicago Lakeshore Path. The collaboration launched an eScooter fleet to study the impacts of multi-modal integration with off-street parking

eScooter docking station at Millennium Parking Garages

Millennium Garages and CINCO Launch the Largest Public Electric Vehicle Charging Hub in the Midwest

Tue, 21 Jun 2022 15:37:52 GMT

With Public, Private, and Civic Partners, Millennium Garages Expands Charging Access for Chicago Residents, Commuters, Visitors, and Fleet Vehicles

Contacts:

Millennium Garages | Info@MillenniumGarages.com

Civic Infrastructure Collaborative | Innovate@InfrastructureForward.org

Click here to download this press release as a PDF.

With more than 70 level-2 electric vehicle (EV) chargers across four integrated parking facilities in downtown Chicago, Millennium Garages has launched the Midwest’s largest public EV charging hub. Data from the US Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center , which includes a national registry of EV chargers, also indicates that Millennium Garages is among the largest public charging hubs in the nation

Millennium’s charging infrastructure is expanding EV access for area residents, commuters, visitors, and commercial vehicle fleets. Millennium Garages has been an early leader in supporting vehicle electrification, and recent investments have more than doubled the garages’ charging capacity. Additional information and updates on EV charging at Millennium Garages are available at https://www.millenniumgarages.com/ElectricVehicles/ .

An integral part of Chicago’s iconic Loop neighborhood, the garages sit between Michigan Avenue and DuSable Lake Shore Drive beneath Grant Park, Millennium, Park, and Maggie Daley Park. Millennium’s four facilities span approximately 12 square city blocks adjacent to the central business district, cultural attractions, theater and music venues, restaurants, hotels, and the Lake Michigan waterfront.

Grant Park North Garage – 25 N. Michigan Avenue
Grant Park South Garage – 325 S. Michigan Avenue
Millennium Park Garage – 5 S. Columbus Drive (west of the entrance ramps)
Millennium Lakeside Garage – 5 S. Columbus Drive (east of the entrance ramps)

“Electric vehicles are transforming the transportation industry, and our facilities are at the forefront of that transformation” said Millennium Garages’ CEO Rick West. “As the Midwest’s largest public EV charging hub, Millennium Garages and partners are positioning ourselves to serve individual and fleet customers for many years to come.”

Each of Millennium Garages’ current chargers delivers enough energy in one hour for an average EV to travel 20-30 miles. This capacity is ideal to meet the needs of most Millennium Garages’ customers, many of whom park for several hours. Currently, EV charging is available on a first-come, first-served basis, and Millennium Garages has created a waitlist for drivers with interest in a new reserved monthly EV charging option. EV charging is currently complimentary with paid parking, as the garages collaborate with customers and partners to raise awareness, launch a sustainable pricing model, and explore additional opportunities.

In collaboration with Chicago’s electric utility ComEd, EV charging equipment providers, civic and commercial partners, and local community organizations, Millennium Garages has embraced EV charging as a key component of its near-term operations and long-term business strategy.

“We couldn’t be more pleased to see Millennium Garages be recognized for its leadership in the EV charging sector,” said Melissa Washington, ComEd’s Senior Vice President of Customer Operations. “Millennium engaged ComEd early in their planning process, and they are anticipating the long-term needs of their growing customer base in Chicago. We look forward to our continued partnership with Millennium Garages and other stakeholders as we work collaboratively to meet the charging needs of drivers in northern Illinois.”

The garages host charging equipment from multiple EV charging technology and service providers, including EVPassport, ChargePoint, Tesla, FlashParking, and EVBox. By offering a range of charging options, Millennium Garages allows EV owners and facility operators to compare charging platforms, technologies, and user experiences.

“As a regional job creator and clean energy catalyst, vehicle electrification is a top priority for Chicago’s sustainable technology ecosystem,” said Brad Henderson, CEO of P33. “Millennium Garages is leading the way on EV charging infrastructure. Through our work to drive inclusive tech leadership for Chicago and its residents, P33 is glad to work with Millennium Garages’ team and partners to modernize our transportation and energy systems.”

With the return of in-person commerce and tourism following pandemic-related closures, EV charging is an urgent opportunity for Chicago’s downtown business, entertainment, and residential districts.

In supporting Millennium Garages’ EV charging expansion, City of Chicago Alderman Brendan Reilly linked EV infrastructure to Chicago’s tradition of transportation leadership. According to Reilly, “The 42nd Ward is proud to be home to largest regional EV charging hub. Chicago has always been a national leader in transportation – by investing in electric vehicles, Millennium Garages is embracing the next wave of mobility innovation. This investment shows how forward-thinking infrastructure can drive economic growth and improve our city’s quality of life.”

“Millennium Garages serves a large portion of Loop workers, visitors and residents, and the new EV charging capabilities provide access to environmentally friendly steps that are making our city and downtown sustainable for the future,” said Michael Edwards, President and CEO of Chicago Loop Alliance. “As a hub for leisure travelers and commuters, dedicated space for EV charging is a logical necessity for the Loop’s continued success.”

EV charging infrastructure like Millennium Garages is a critical element of statewide, and national efforts to electrify personal and public transportation while delivering environmental and economic benefits.

The State of Illinois has passed groundbreaking legislation – including the Reimagining Electric Vehicles in Illinois Act and the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act to foster clean transportation and energy. In April, Chicago’s updated Climate Action Plan reaffirmed the City’s commitment to zero-emission transportation and the electrification of municipal and commercial fleets.

“With Illinois quickly becoming a home for electric vehicle manufacturing, building out the state's charging infrastructure is a top priority," said Sylvia I. Garcia, Director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. “Having the Midwest’s largest public EV charging hub right in downtown Chicago is a win for residents, commuters, visitors, and our planet.”

As of March 2022, the US Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center logged approximately 2,400 public EV charging ports at 1,000 locations across Illinois. Just over 700 of those charging ports were in the City of Chicago, with fewer than 80 in the Loop’s core downtown zip codes. Millennium Garages’ current EV charging expansion is a substantial increase in local charging capacity and underscores its national leadership.

“21st century infrastructure is critical to achieving cities’ social, economic, and environmental goals,” according to Jamie Ponce, Millennium Garages’ Chief Innovation Officer and Executive Director of Civic Infrastructure Collaborative. “Making the most of urban infrastructure requires novel approaches, business models, and partnerships – especially in light of evolving technologies and community needs.”

Millennium Garages is working with Argonne National Labs under the US Department of Energy’s SMART Mobility 2.0 program to understand how mobility systems may evolve in the future, and it also partners with the federal Clean Cities Program’s Chicago Area Clean Cities (CACC) coalition . “CACC encourages the use of clean fuel vehicles, clean fuels, and advanced vehicle technologies to promote an improved environment, energy efficiencies, domestic and renewable fuels, and a reduction in the use of imported petroleum,” said John Walton, CACC Chair. “Electric vehicles have a role in furthering our mission to improve air quality and reduce lung disease.”

Millennium Garages’ EV charging efforts are part of the Millennium Gateway Innovation Lab , a cross-sector effort launched in 2020 to develop technology-enabled infrastructure solutions and to integrate parking more fully into urban transportation systems. The Lab is coordinated by Civic Infrastructure Collaborative , a nonprofit organization with the mission of driving public value from core urban infrastructure through technology and cross-sector partnership. In addition to Millennium Garages, the Lab’s founding members and strategic partners include national parking and mobility technology leader SP+ Corporation , last-mile mobility solutions provider Arrive , the National Parking Association , the International Parking & Mobility Institute , and the City of Chicago.

About Millennium Garages

Learn more at www.MillenniumGarages.com .

About Civic Infrastructure Collaborative

Learn more at www.InfrastructureForward.org .

About the Millennium Gateway Innovation Lab

CINCO and Sheeva.AI Partner on Vehicle Location-Based Services Solutions

Thu, 28 Apr 2022 14:43:28 GMT

Civic Infrastructure Collaborative, Sheeva.AI, and Millennium Garages Pilot Real-Time Reservation and Navigation for Automated Parking Space Management

April 28, 2022

Contact: Inno vate@InfrastructureForward.org

This press release originally appeared on Sheeva.AI's website: https://sheeva.ai/

Contact: Randy Brown | 215-500-2938 | rbrown@sheeva.ai

Tysons Corner, VA and Chicago, IL - April 28, 2022: Sheeva.AI, a leading in-car payments and connected vehicle solutions provider, announced today that it is kicking off a pilot with Millennium Parking Garages (MPG) and Civic Infrastructure Collaborative (CINCO).

The pilot is part of the Millennium Gateway Innovation Lab, a cross-sector effort to develop tech-enabled solutions for smart infrastructure management, integrate parking more fully into urban transportation systems. Over the coming weeks, Sheeva's solution will be deployed to select pilot participants in Millennium Lakeside Garage in downtown Chicago to evaluate the Sheeva solution's ability to digitally and automatically manage parking space types (e.g. accessible, EV charging, preferred locations) and identify occupancy levels. The team will test several use cases including parking reservations, garage entry, and navigation to parking spots.

The Millennium Gateway Innovation Lab is a consortium of stakeholders focused on modernizing and streamlining parking and mobility more fully into urban transportation systems. Finding and paying for parking suited to a driver's individual needs, especially in busy urban centers, can be a frustrating hassle.

Millennium Garages is piloting options to digitize and improve the end-to-end experience for commuters, fleets, and leisure customers. The company is exploring options for a solution that easily integrates into its own systems to make the most efficient use of data and infrastructure to benefit its customers.

Sheeva's location-based technology will provide real-time parking space availability and automated reservations for pilot participants based on their destination. Drivers will enjoy a seamless parking experience through navigation to guide them to their preferred parking location to the specific parking spot, and automatic payment based on the amount of time spent in the garage. Sheeva's solution can activate a parking session, activate an EV charging station, send receipt of payment, and identify exactly when a driver leaves so that their space becomes available in the space management system and can be reassigned to the next driver. All these functions occur automatically based on the vehicle's precise location and movement.

"Infrastructure needs to do and be more things to more people than ever before. Having a digital representation of a physical asset allows asset owners and operators to turn data into useful and actionable information, which results in improved experiences for customers," said Tom McCoy, Director of Infrastructure Solutions Civic Infrastructure Collaborative. "By combining Sheeva's innovative technologies with real world problems, we believe we can help facilitate this digital transformation. Millennium Parking Garages is a premier facility, and we're excited to see how their forward-thinking approach changes parking in Chicago."

Issac Riggs, COO of Millennium Parking Garages explained, "We are constantly testing emerging technologies to improve the experience our customers have in our garages. We want to simplify the parking experience, and Sheeva.AI's technology offers promise to do that."

"Sheeva was started as a parking-focused technology platform, and now that we have had years to hone our parking solution to effectively address all of the variables involved, we are thrilled to be able to partner with Millennium Garages to offer it to users," said Evgeny Klochikhin, Sheeva.AI CEO. "The technology is turnkey ready to scale today. We look forward to the pilot further showcasing how Sheeva offers a simple, effective solution that everyone can use to simplify all of their vehicle-based services and payments."

About Sheeva.AI

Sheeva.AI provides a flexible, low-cost platform that uses precise (< 2-meter accuracy) geolocation of connected vehicles - even in deep urban canyons - to enable contactless, automatic payments in the cloud.

Sheeva.AI's platform integrates via open APIs to enable payments and automation for services like fuel, charging, toll payment, parking, curbside pick-up, and more. Unlike most Vehicle Location-Based Services (VLBS) systems, Sheeva.AI provides a low-cost and highly flexible way to enable vehicle-based payments and services extensible to existing mobile apps, in-vehicle apps, and location-based services without the need for new architecture or expensive hardware deployments.

Learn more at www.Sheeva.AI .

About Millennium Garages

Millennium Garages LLC is a joint venture by infrastructure fund partners that control a long-term, exclusive concession rights and responsibilities for the 3.8 million square foot Millennium Garages system in downtown Chicago.

Learn more at www.MillenniumGarages.com .

About Civic Infrastructure Collaborative

Civic Infrastructure Collaborative drives public value from core urban infrastructure through cross-sector collaboration and technology-enabled innovation. As a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, the Collaborative uses a proven methodology to identify, develop, deploy, and scale inclusive infrastructure solutions. We help infrastructure asset owners, operators, public officials, technology providers, and other stakeholders to deliver economic, social, and environmental returns for the communities they serve.

Learn more at www.InfrastructureForward.org .

About the Millennium Gateway Innovation Lab

The Millennium Gateway Innovation Lab envisions urban parking real estate as a gateway to other transportation modes and commerce. Launched in partnership with Millennium Garages, SP+, Arrive, the National Parking Association, the International Parking & Mobility Institute, and the City of Chicago, the lab pursues scalable solutions to expand access to public transit and other mobility options, enable smart infrastructure management, and demonstrate other value-added space uses.

Smart City Works Venture Studio Announces Partnership with Civic Infrastructure Collaborative

Tue, 29 Mar 2022 01:46:44 GMT

Civic Infrastructure Collaborative will work with growing list of members in Smart City Works Venture Studio.

March 29, 2022

Contact: Inno vate@InfrastructureForward.org

This press release originally appeared on Smart City Works Venture Studio's website: https://smartcityworks.io/news-and-events/

Washington, DC - March 29, 2022: Smart City Works Venture Studio (SCWVS) announced today that Civic Infrastructure Collaborative (CINCO) will be joining as an Agency Member of the Smart City Works Venture Studio to further efforts regarding urban infrastructure innovation.

The Smart City Works Venture Studio helps build startups focused on key urban challenges like transportation, mobility, energy, and more and with a particular emphasis on resiliency.

CINCOis the fourth member to join SCWVS and look to engage for identifying key trends and opportunities in infrastructure where technology and associated innovative processes can make a difference in how infrastructure is developed, deployed, and maintained in terms of quality, accessibility, equity, cost, and sustainability.

Civic Infrastructure Collaborative is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to unlocking public and private value from urban infrastructure. Harnessing transformational tools and technologies like connectivity, electrification, urban systems integration, and adaptive reuse, CIC works across industries and sectors to meet urgent needs and foster vibrant cities. CIC and its predecessor organization City Tech have a high-impact track record in key infrastructure sectors, including transportation and mobility, water management, energy, telecommunications, and COVID-19 recovery in shared urban spaces.

“This partnership among Civic Infrastructure Collaborative, Smart City Works Venture Studio, and the Studio’s growing membership underscores the opportunity to reinvent cities through focused innovation,” according to Jamie Ponce, CINCO’s Executive Director. “Working together, public, private, and civic institutions can make good on the promise of technology to make cities happier, healthier, and more productive.”

“We are excited to have CINCO joining Smart City Works Venture Studio” said Don DeLoach, Co-Founder of SCWVS. “The alignment is remarkable. We share a belief in the value of innovation to make a material impact on our cities and infrastructure. There are certainly a growing number of startups focusing on innovation in construction and infrastructure, yet the failure rate remains very high. Smart City Works Venture Studio, working alongside CINCO and the growing list of other members in the studio are committed to working together to helping startups bring innovation forward successfully on their path to scalable, repeatable commercialization”.

About Smart City Works Venture Studio:

Smart City Works Venture Studio helps build startups for the cyber-physical infrastructure world by providing a team of experienced entrepreneurs who have substantial experience in IoT and infrastructure, product development, business planning, customer acquisition, finance and venture capital, as well as industry-specific expertise in smart cities, construction, smart buildings, mobility, energy and the environment.

Smart City Works Venture Studio is a joint initiative between Smart City Works Venture Labs, a next generation business accelerator focused on urban infrastructure, and Rocket Wagon Venture Studios, the parent organization that provides the architectural cyber-physical framework including considerations regarding devices, security, privacy, data governance and ownership, communications, and a broad range of analytics, as well as shared legal and financial services, underlying operational systems, and corporate relationships.

Learn more at smartcityworks.rwvstudios.com .

About Civic Infrastructure Collaborative:

We help infrastructure asset owners, operators, public officials, technology providers, and other stakeholders to deliver economic, social, and environmental returns for the communities they serve.

Learn more at www.InfrastructureForward.org .

CINCO Joins One Earth Film Festival Panel and Screening of "2040: The Regeneration"

Mon, 07 Mar 2022 18:31:53 GMT

Civic, Social, & Environmental Leaders Unite for Post-Screening Discussion on Practical, Positive Climate Solutions

Contact: Innovate@InfrastructureForward.org

For additional details on the 2022 One Earth Film Festival, visit: http://www.oneearthfilmfest.org/watch-2022-discussions

Motivated by concerns about the planet that his 4-year-old daughter would inherit, award-winning director Damon Gameau embarked on a global journey to meet innovators and change-makers in the areas of economics, technology, civil society, agriculture, education and sustainability.

This journey is the central premise for the documentary 2040, a story of hope that looks at the very real possibility that humanity could reverse global warming and improve the lives of every living thing in the process. It is a positive vision of what ‘could be’, instead of the dystopian future we are so often warned about.

In March, Civic Infrastructure Collaborative Executive Director Jamie Ponce participated in the One Earth Film Festival's post-screening discussion of the film "2040: The Regeneration"

Post-film discussion panelists:

Vincent Gomez, Director of Community Engagement, Lincoln Park Zoo
Jamie Ponce, Executive Director, Civic Infrastructure Collaborative
Dr. Jifunza Wright-Carter, Co-Founder & President, Black Oaks Center
Alicia Ponce, Founding Principal, APMonarch
Angela Tovar, Chief Sustainability Officer, City of Chicago

About One Earth Film Festival:

One Earth Film Festival is the Midwest’s premier environmental film festival, creating opportunities for understanding climate change, sustainability and the power of people. It showcases top-issue, thought-provoking environmental films, leads audiences in interactive post-film discussions focused on solutions, and offers concrete actions people can take. One Earth Film Festival is a production of One Earth Collective.

About Civic Infrastructure Collaborative:

CINCO and Chicago Architecture Center Explore the "New Rules For Adaptive Reuse"

Wed, 26 Jan 2022 18:19:35 GMT

Civic Infrastructure Collaborative and the Chicago Architecture Center partnered on an Industry Council Event: The Future is Adaptive Reuse

Contact: Innovate@InfrastructureForward.org

In the face of major disruptors, from climate impacts to emerging technology to socioeconomic and cultural shifts, design forward cities must ask existing buildings and infrastructure to accept different roles in urban life. How are new needs and design opportunities changing the rulebook for adaptive reuse?

On January 26, 2022, Civic Infrastructure Collaborative (CINCO) partnered with the Chicago Architecture Center to explore the ‘new rules’ for adaptive reuse as cities evolve to embrace technology, inclusion, and emerging sources of public and private value. The 75-minute program included multiple case studies plus a primer on technical considerations.

The virtual lunchtime event included discussion of evolving urban landscapes, with inspiring examples from parking garage retrofits to co-living communities, and the real-world considerations shaping these new products.

Panelists included:

Lynn Osmond, Chicago Architecture Center
Jamie Ponce, Civic Infrastructure Collaborative (Moderator)
Andrew Ahitow, CityPads
Daniel Gensch, Shelden Architecture
Issac Riggs, Millennium Garages
Robert James, UL

About Chicago Architecture Center:

The Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) was founded in 1966 as the Chicago Architecture Foundation to save the historic Glessner House. Since then, the CAC has grown to become one of the largest cultural organizations in Chicago. For more than 50 years, our educators, 450 volunteer docents and 150 guest services volunteers have shared the stories of Chicago architecture with millions of Chicagoans and visitors. The CAC serves more than 500,000 guests and audience members annually. For more information, visit https://www.architecture.org/ .

About Civic Infrastructure Collaborative:

CINCO Featured in USGS Profile of Urban Heat Action in Chicago

Wed, 01 Dec 2021 19:12:48 GMT

United States Geological Survey's Earth Resources Observation & Science (EROS) Center recounts cross-sector efforts to address urban heat.

USGS' EROS profile of Chicago's urban heat response appeared at: https://www.usgs.gov/centers/eros/news/collaborations-quest-examine-effects-urban-heat-actions-chicago

Contact: Innovat e@InfrastructureForward.org

“If cities are investing in green roofs or parks or permeable surfaces, it’s a good idea for the planners and taxpayers to know if those interventions actually have the intended effect. [This work] allows us to move toward a whole new era of performance-based infrastructure development and design.” Jamie Ponce, Executive Director - Civic Infrastructure Collaborative

Collaboration's Quest: Examine Effects of Urban Heat Actions in Chicago

USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center

Chicago faced a tragic awakening to the dangers of extreme heat in July 1995, when more than 700 people died during a record-breaking heat wave that stretched for five days.

Since then, the City has updated its emergency response strategy to try to prevent heat-related illness and death, including outreach to the most vulnerable populations. Impervious surfaces such as pavement and rooftops can exacerbate heat waves, so green roofs have sprouted by the hundreds, and the Chicago Park District promotes 8,800 acres of green space. At the site of an old railyard near Lake Michigan, Chicago created the 24.5-acre Millennium Park, one of the largest green roofs in the world.

The average annual temperature for Chicago is rising, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration statistics. The average during the years of 1981-2010 was 49.9 degrees; for 1991-2020, it reached 51.3 degrees. Climate change is also expected to affect the frequency and intensity of heat waves.

To continue reading, please visit: https://www.usgs.gov/centers/eros/news/collaborations-quest-examine-effects-urban-heat-actions-chicago .

About USGS Earth Resources Observation & Science (EROS) Center:

The USGS EROS Center studies land change and produces land change data products used by researchers, resource managers, and policy makers across the nation and around the world. It also operates the Landsat satellite program with NASA, and maintains the largest civilian collection of images of the Earth’s land surface in existence, including tens of millions of satellite images.

For more information, visit: https://www.usgs.gov/centers/eros .

About Civic Infrastructure Collaborative:

For more information, visit: www.InfrastructureForward.org .

Preparing for Electric Vehicle Growth: Expanding EV Charging Data for Asset Managers

Wed, 24 Nov 2021 03:28:03 GMT

To demystify EV infrastructure investments, facilities must work with equipment vendors and service providers to understand real-time occupancy and utilization across charging platforms.

Tom McCoy - Director of Infrastructure Solutions, Civic Infrastructure Collaborative

Contact: Innovate@InfrastructureForward.org

An earlier version of this article originally appeared at CityTech.org ( link )

For the first time, many people are imagining themselves behind the wheel of an electric vehicle. Prices of EVs are drop ping, charging infrastructure is improving and new models, like pick up trucks and muscle cars , are expanding EV appeal to more drivers. With rosy growth projections and commitments from major vehicle manufacturers , the shift to EVs is feeling more certain than ever.

However, lack of EV infrastructure is the top reason many drivers are hesitant to make the change. EV drivers are looking to apartment buildings, retail shops, grocery stores, garages, and other public and semi-public spaces to provide places to fuel. How can facility owners and operators prepare for this new rapidly evolving reality, while also maintaining operational flexibility and demystifying the strategic decisions that go into managing charging infrastructure?

One way to seize electrification opportunities while guarding against the risk of unnecessary or stranded investments is to pursue EV planning in the context of a comprehensive asset strategy. As physical and digital needs evolve, facilities will have to decide how to integrate sensors, analytics, compute and storage, networks, and physical infrastructure (including electricity and other utilities). These components comprise a cyberphysical foundation to capture information and to guide operational decisions.

Currently, most garage operators have limited EV chargers and little visibility into EV charging utilization across charging infrastructure providers. The lack of data prohibits data-driven pricing (static or dynamic) and active space management, which constrains the EV parking/charging market and limits asset owners’ ability to plan for future infrastructure needs. Further, the absence of accurate, real-time charging station availability means customers drive into the facility without knowing where the stations are, and if any of the chargers are unoccupied.

To address the opportunities and challenges facing garage operators, Civic Infrastructure Collaborative (formerly City Tech) collaborated with testbed host Millennium Garages , sensor manufacturer and Tier 1 automotive supplier Bosch USA , parking business intelligence provider Smarking , and EV charging equipment and service provider ChargePoint to build a connected, real-time occupancy monitoring system to improve EV charging space management and related operations.

Civic Infrastructure Collaborative partnered with Bosch to install vehicle occupancy sensors at EV charging stations in Millennium Garages to understand stations occupancy by vehicles that were not actively charging.

For the Millennium Garages pilot, Bosch installed sensors on ten EV charging spots to determine space occupancy, duration, and whether / how long vehicles charged while parked. Smarking compiled this data into a single dashboard to help facilities operators to visualize, analyze, and understand use of their chargers in near real-time. By providing a consolidated view of charging activity across multiple chargers and equipment providers for the first time, this approach can take the guesswork out of operational decisions.

For Millennium Garages, the largest underground parking garage in the US spanning 3.8 million square feet beneath downtown Chicago, these insights can inform EV pricing, if/when to expand the number of EV parking spaces, and the return on investment for the current EV spaces. These insights are critical whether a facility has three EV spaces or 300.

Within the first few months, new EV charging analytics began to produce valuable insights that can guide future facility operations and investments.

The new Smarking dashboard revealed that there were customers charging overnight each night; the team hypothesized that the customers were using the stations to refill after a commute outside of the downtown area – a newly discovered usage pattern. With this new customer segment identified, there are opportunities to size the opportunity and rethink business models, customer acquisition strategies and pricing models.

Civic Infrastructure Collaborative partnered with Bosch to install vehicle occupancy sensors at EV charging stations in Millennium Garages to understand stations occupancy by vehicles that were not actively charging.

The approach and technology from this solution can be applied in several ways going forward. In addition to informing garage operations, this will help with sizing of charging infrastructure, facilitate capital planning, and identify additional opportunities (such as large-scale onsite energy storage) to enable expanded electrification of fleets and larger vehicles, while also incorporating related considerations and benefits (such as local electric grid stability, peak shaving, and demand response). Eventually, newly created occupancy data could be made visible to customers, parking search engines, and EV reservation systems.

Over the coming months, garage operators and other asset managers who are looking to expand EV capabilities can build a foundation for improved operational decisions in the future. Those who do will be able to respond nimbly to new information as EV usage grows. Those who don’t may be forced to watch customers pass them by.

About the Author:

Tom McCoy manages the Solution Development process for City Tech. In this role, Tom oversees the development and management of pilot projects, including team formation, scoping, legal negotiation, execution, and evaluation/scaling. Tom has 10 years of experience leading teams to deliver innovative technology solutions in the Pharma, Retail and Consumer Technology industries. Most recently, Tom led a product development team at Nextdoor focused on helping locally owned businesses compete by strengthening their connections to their neighborhoods and local customers. Tom has a bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Wisconsin.

About Civic Infrastructure Collaborative:

City Tech Launches New Organization to Drive Public Value from Core Urban Infrastructure

Wed, 13 Oct 2021 01:18:51 GMT

Civic Infrastructure Collaborative Will Work with Asset Owners, Operators, Technology Providers, Public Officials, and Residents to Develop Practical, Place-Based Infrastructure Solutions

Contact: Innovate@InfrastructureForward.org

Click here to download this press release as a PDF.

Chicago – City Tech Collaborative (City Tech) is channeling deep industry partnerships and a proven innovation methodology into a new nonprofit organization to drive public value from core urban infrastructure. The new Civic Infrastructure Collaborative will bring together physical, digital, and social resources to help cities thrive.

Cities and their residents are demanding more than ever of urban infrastructure. Far from being isolated and inanimate objects, urban buildings, roads, parks, bridges, transportation facilities, and utility infrastructure make up complex systems that must connect with each other and the people who depend on them. Infrastructure plays a key role in achieving public, social, economic, and environmental goals. But making the most of urban infrastructure requires novel approaches, business models, and partnerships – especially in light of evolving technologies and constituent expectations.

The Civic Infrastructure Collaborative brings together infrastructure and technology experts as well as widely recognized civic innovation leaders. City Tech’s Director of Strategic Partnerships Jamie Ponce will be the organization’s Executive Director, with City Tech’s Manager of Solution Development Tom McCoy as Director of Infrastructure Solutions. City Tech’s Executive Director Brenna Berman will serve as Board Chair, joined on the Board of Directors by Rick West, CEO of Millennium Parking Garages, LLC.

“Infrastructure investment is on the tip of everyone’s tongues right now, but what’s missing from too many conversations is a recognition that 21 ^st century infrastructure must address more diverse needs and constituents than ever before,” says Jamie Ponce, Civic Infrastructure Collaborative’s Executive Director. “We need to think deliberately, creatively, and collaboratively about the role of urban infrastructure in modern cities and how technology can create far-reaching value.”

Millennium Garages in downtown Chicago ( www.MillenniumGarages.com ) will be the anchor facility for Civic Infrastructure Collaborative’s first projects. As a publicly owned, privately operated asset spanning 3.8 million square feet, the garages are the largest underground public parking system in the United States. With leadership and support from the City of Chicago and global infrastructure investment firms Northleaf Capital and AMP Capital, the facility connects residents, commuters, and tourists with Chicago’s central business district, cultural destinations, Lake Michigan’s waterfront, highway networks and public transit, and the Chicago Pedway through a network of four garages.

According to Millennium Garages’ CEO Rick West, “I am proud to work with Civic Infrastructure Collaborative on building solutions that deliver value to the City of Chicago, Millennium Garages’ investors, and the public. This new organization is helping our asset to realize a long-term strategy to stay relevant and productive for many years to come.”

The launch of Civic Infrastructure Collaborative builds on City Tech’s track record of urban solution development. Since its founding in 2015, City Tech has completed more than 30 projects and solution development collaborations to make cities happier, healthier, and more productive. City Tech has prevented flooding using smart green infrastructure , enabled dynamic management of city curbs , averted utility damage in underground utilities , and facilitated COVID-19 recovery in shared urban spaces . In 2020, City Tech launched the Millennium Gateway Innovation Lab to embed parking more fully into transportation systems, to facilitate smart infrastructure management, and to cultivate high-value services and space uses to ensure continued relevance and productivity of parking facilities.

Civic Infrastructure Collaborative is one of several new efforts by City Tech to address industry-specific challenges in the rapidly evolving smart cities arena. City Tech has also announced the launch of SWITCH (Sustainable Wellness through Innovation, Technology, & Collaborative Health), an organization focused on improving health and wellness in historically underserved communities, as well as the open sourcing of City Tech’s resident engagement program on public-facing technology and design.

To learn more about Civic Infrastructure Collaborative, please visit www.InfrastructureForward.org .

For more information about City Tech Collaborative, please visit www.CityTech.org .

About Civic Infrastructure Collaborative:

About City Tech Collaborative (City Tech):

City Tech is an urban solutions accelerator that tackles problems too big for any single sector or organization to solve alone. City Tech’s work uses IoT sensing networks, advanced analytics, and urban design to create scalable, market ready solutions. Current initiatives address mobility, healthy cities, connected infrastructure, and emerging growth opportunities. City Tech was born and raised in Chicago, and every city is a potential partner.

City Tech Launches Two New Orgs to Foster Infrastructure Innovation and Community Health and Open-Source Toolkit for Resident Engagement

Wed, 13 Oct 2021 01:18:49 GMT

City Tech to Close Its Doors as New Programs Continue Legacy of Collaborative Innovation

Contact: Innovate@InfrastructureForward.org

This press release originally appeared at www.CityTech.org ( link )

Chicago – City Tech Collaborative (City Tech) is launching two new, independent organizations focused on civic infrastructure innovation and community health and wellness, as well as an open-source toolkit to support and scale direct resident engagement in urban innovation. Following the successful launch of these efforts, City Tech will close its doors.

The newly launched organizations, Civic Infrastructure Collaborative and SWITCH, will address urban infrastructure and community health, respectively. Later this year, City Tech will also publish tools related to its resident engagement program, the Civic User Testing group (CUTgroup).

Since its founding in 2015, City Tech has completed over 30 projects and solution development collaborations to make cities happier, healthier, and more productive. With an ecosystem of more than 100 corporate, municipal, civic, and philanthropic partners, City Tech has played a critical role in advancing practical, tech-enabled products and services.

“City Tech has a rich history of driving partnerships and developing collaborative solutions to cities’ greatest challenges,” said Brenna Berman, CEO of City Tech Collaborative. “We’re excited to launch efforts that dive even deeper and address industry-specific needs in the rapidly evolving smart cities arena.”

CIVIC INFRASTRUCTURE COLLABORATIVE

The new Civic Infrastructure Collaborative is an independent nonprofit organization that that will bring together physical, digital, and social resources to help cities thrive. Its mission is to drive public value from core urban infrastructure through cross-sector collaboration and technology-enabled innovation.

Civic Infrastructure Collaborative will work with asset owners, operators, technology providers, public officials, and residents to develop and implement place-based infrastructure solutions. The organization will harness important trends like digitization, connectivity, urban systems integration, and adaptive reuse to identify new roles that urban infrastructure assets can play and new sources of value for the communities they serve. Millennium Garages in downtown Chicago will be the anchor facility for the organization’s first projects. Learn more about Civic Infrastructure Collaborative here and at www.InfrastructureForward.org .

SUSTAINABLE WELLNESS through INNOVATION, TECHNOLOGY, & COLLABORATIVE HEALTH (SWITCH)

The second organization, SWITCH – which stands for Sustainable Wellness through Innovation, Technology, & Collaborative Health – will enable solution development for healthcare challenges. SWITCH will bring together skilled partners, engage residents and healthcare patients to ensure they have an active voice in solution creation, and leverage a robust and proprietary racial equity and inclusion methodology to address inherent bias in existing solution development processes. The organization’s first solution will focus on solving health inequities and building trust between healthcare providers and residents in historically underserved communities. SWITCH will leverage OSF HealthCare’s existing CommunityConnect software and expand the program to non-OSF clinics and community-based organizations to serve Medicaid patients; in addition, the team will integrate SWITCH’s racial equity and inclusion tool into the application’s care plan development. Learn more about SWITCH here .

OPEN-SOURCE RESIDENT ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMMING

Since its inception, City Tech has prioritized creating inclusive, equitable solutions and believes that successful public-facing technologies rely upon direct resident engagement and community-focused design. The Civic User Testing group (CUTgroup) has been an integral part of City Tech’s work since a merger between City Digital and the Smart Chicago Collaborative in 2017. Through CUTgroup, City Tech has offered guidance, convened residents, and conducted specialized user testing to support the development and roll-out of digital tools, websites, technology plans, and civic products. Today, CUTgroup includes nearly 1,600 Chicago residents and has supported the design and deployment of over 25 new products, technologies, and public-facing solutions.

In 2020, City Tech created a Civic User Testing Network of five resident engagement programs in the U.S. and Canada. Chicago, Miami, Cleveland, Detroit, and Toronto have joined the Network to share resources and develop best practices, building a more robust framework to make local technology more user-friendly, accessible, and relevant.

Over the next two months, City Tech will engage key stakeholders and develop a toolkit to support and scale direct resident engagement in urban innovation. Building on existing best practices and the CUTgroup approach, City Tech will make these tools available on open-source platforms by the end of 2021.

CITY TECH COLLABORATIVE: HISTORY AND IMPACT

City Tech was founded in 2015 (as City Digital) to facilitate collaboration among public officials, technology companies, startups, civic institutions, academia, and cross-sector stakeholders. In 2017, City Digital merged with Smart Chicago Collaborative – a nonprofit organization focused on increasing city residents' access to the internet and digital tools to help people connect with local government. to form City Tech Collaborative .

As City Tech evolved, its work and impact grew to encompass transportation, infrastructure, public health, and emerging opportunities to shape urban life. City Tech has offered a platform for local government, universities and research institutions, startups, and tech corporations to tackling our cities’ most complex challenges. Signature City Tech solutions range from tracking urban heat islands and assessing hotspot mitigation efforts , to improving safety and visitors’ experiences in shared urban spaces during the COVID-19 pandemic . Additional solutions include expanding health data on the Chicago Health Atlas , mitigating congestion from freight deliveries , and understanding the economic impact of events such as Chicago Blues Fest and Jazz Fest .

In 2019, City Tech elevated its solution development process by launching the Advanced Mobility Initiative , an effort to create a more seamless, connected, accessible, and far-reaching urban transportation systems for people and goods. The following year, City Tech established the Millennium Gateway Innovation Lab , a groundbreaking partnership to integrate parking more fully into urban transportation systems, develop tech-enabled solutions for smart infrastructure management, and cultivate value-added services and space uses.

All of these solutions illustrate technology’s tremendous potential to improve urban life, while recognizing that no single organization or sector has the resources, capabilities, or perspective to solve cities’ biggest challenges alone. City Tech has lived up to ambitious goals for public-private partnerships, cross-sector collaboration, and diversity through a combination of strategic and tactical technology integration, market validation, partnership development, and civic engagement. City Tech developed and implemented much-needed structure and tools – including multiparty legal agreements, go-to-market channels, policy and landscape analysis, and racial equity and inclusion assessments – to ensure that innovation can flourish in the real world as well as under pilot conditions.

In addition, City Tech has been a key convener in lesson-sharing to broaden the impact of smart cities solutions. Outreach efforts include an international, multi-day City Solutions conference with the United Nations’ URAIA platform, UN-Habitat, and the Global Fund for Cities Development. City Tech coordinated lesson-sharing among senior city officials during the 2017 North American Mayors’ Climate Summit , and City Tech co-chaired the City of Chicago’s 2018-19 New Transportation & Mobility Task Force. City Tech has moved critical topics and conversations forward in partnership with notable leaders including Reuters, CityAge, MOVE and Fira Barcelona. City Tech’s work is showcased in publications including Forbes , Wired , American Inno , Crain’s Chicago Business , the Chicago Tribune , the Chicago Sun-Times , and Smart Cities Dive .

The organization’s unique mission, approach, and impact have attracted partnership, participation, and support of many of the most influential companies and organizations in the smart cities arena. Since its founding, City Tech’s board of directors has included corporate representatives from Microsoft, Accenture, Mastercard, ComEd, HERE Technologies, and HBK Engineering. These and many other corporate members’ strategic input, technical capabilities, and financial contributions have informed, enabled, and helped to scale City Tech’s work.

City Tech is grateful for grant investments and program support from the US federal government and some of the countries’ leading philanthropic institutions, including US Department of Energy, the US Economic Development Administration, the John G. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Otho S.A. Sprague Memorial Institute, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and Data.org, as well as partnerships with prominent research institutions including Argonne National Laboratory. These and other funders have trusted City Tech to help cities and their residents make good use of technology to create jobs, accelerate economic development, improve quality of life, and ensure the broadest possible access to these benefits across geographically and demographically diverse communities.

City Tech has been recognized for its achievements including winning the 2020 Chicago Innovation Awards for its work on the Chicago Health Atlas , and City Tech team members have received local and national accolades as rising stars and leaders in their fields. City Tech alumni are serving as senior officials in state and national government, business executives, and research experts in academia.

Visit www.CityTech.org to learn more about City Tech’s work.

About City Tech Collaborative:

City Tech Collaborative (City Tech) is an urban solutions accelerator that tackles problems too big for any single sector or organization to solve alone. City Tech’s work uses IoT sensing networks, advanced analytics, and urban design to create scalable, market ready solutions. Current initiatives address mobility, healthy cities, connected infrastructure, and emerging growth opportunities. City Tech was born and raised in Chicago, and every city is a potential partner. Visit www.CityTech.org for more information.

About Civic Infrastructure Collaborative:
Civic Infrastructure Collaborative drives public value from core urban infrastructure through cross-sector collaboration and technology-enabled innovation. As a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, the Collaborative uses a proven methodology to identify, develop, deploy, and scale inclusive infrastructure solutions. We help infrastructure asset owners, operators, public officials, technology providers, and other stakeholders to deliver economic, social, and environmental returns for the communities they serve. Visit www.InfrastructureForward.org for more information and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn .

About SWITCH:
Sustainable Wellness through Innovation, Technology, & Collaborative Health (SWITCH) a collaboration platform that accelerates, innovates, and scales tech-enabled solutions. Our mission is to increase health equity and measurably improve community health delivery and wellness outcomes in Chicago’s most underserved communities through collaboratively developing solutions; engaging residents and patients to ensure they have an active voice in solution creation; and leveraging a robust racial equity and inclusion (REI) methodology to address inherent bias in existing solution development processes.

About CUTgroup:
City Tech's Civic User Testing group (CUTgroup) is a 1,600+ member civic engagement program that invites Chicago residents to contribute to emerging technology while providing public, private, and social sector partners with feedback to improve product design and deployment. Learn more at www.CityTech.org/CUTgroup .

“Smart” Isn’t Good Enough: Building a Scalable Tech Foundation for Enduring Urban Solutions

Sat, 14 Nov 2020 02:10:52 GMT

It's Time to Get Smarter About Smart Cities

Contact: Innovate@InfrastructureForward.org

This blog post originally appeared at www.CityTech.org ( link )

Chicago – Technology is changing the way we build, manage, and upgrade urban spaces, but too many “smart” cities look more like a hodgepodge of shiny objects and cool ideas. The promise of better cities through technology is real, but so is the risk of short-sighted investments that work in isolation, cannibalize each other’s resources, and inflict death-by-a-thousand-pilots.

Successful smart city innovators pay as much attention to building scalable technology foundations as to specific solutions and applications. Without flexible, forward-looking tech platforms upon which to build, today’s breakthroughs become tomorrow’s cautionary tales.

This is why Intel Corporation joined City Tech Collaborative to co-develop technology-enabled responses to pressing urban problems based on world-class tech foundations.

Stronger Foundations for Smarter Cities

Any great chef can name the standard, “go-to” ingredients that lay the foundation for culinary genius. Proteins, produce, grains and dairy. Oils, spices, and basic flavors. But no one creates an award-winning dish by starting with the garnish and working backwards.

Yet too many urban tech solutions (and sales pitches) focus on flashy widgets while overlooking the underlying capabilities that often make-or-break their usability, maintainability, and ability to evolve over time.

Nearly all successful solutions rely on five foundational layers for urban tech innovation: physical design , sensors , network , compute , and analytics . Some of these exist in fixed locations, while others may be virtual and offer digital access from anywhere. Regardless of the problem they look to solve, smart city innovators must consider each of these enabling foundations, how they interrelate within and across solutions, and how they might adapt as needs and technology change.

Source: City Tech Collaborative & Intel Corporation

Individual solutions and products incorporate most (if not all) of these foundational layers, but they often do so on an ad-hoc basis, in isolation from each other. Without an integrated technology foundation, multiple overlapping solutions can become too complex and resource-intensive for urban planners, public officials, facility operators, or residents use effectively. Furthermore, siloed solutions with separate, conflicting, or incomplete technology foundations can complicate or altogether prevent coordinated governance and risk management, including privacy, interoperability, and cybersecurity.

These five foundational elements not only shape solution functionality but also affect solution cost and related investments. Implemented at facility- or community-scale, these tech foundations systems can support faster, cheaper, and more flexible solution development, piloting, and widespread deployment.

Achieving this goal requires new ways of working across sectors, between competitors, and among stakeholders that don’t always speak each other’s language. In the absence of centralized investment in and control of urban tech infrastructure, we need to adopt new expectations and methods for collaborative innovation.

Technology Foundations in Action

A strong technology foundation is only as good as the solutions it enables. Each aspiring smart city, community or facility must prioritize the problems and solutions to address its unique needs, opportunities, and culture.

The following examples and case studies illustrate a broad range of smart city applications and the ways in which they rely on foundational technology:

Source: City Tech Collaborative & Intel Corporation

Fortunately, cities with common challenges can learn from each other, but public officials and vendors should be as eager to discuss foundational technologies as the solutions that sit on top of them. Broadening smart city dialogue to focus more on core capabilities can facilitate rapid piloting and rollout.

Partnering for Truly Smart Innovation

In light of these examples and many more possibilities, Intel and City Tech are teaming up to seize opportunities for new solution development, beginning with the parking and mobility sectors. Combining City Tech’s cross-sector consortium with Intel’s cross-industry technology expertise, the partnership will develop, deliver, and scale tech-enabled solutions to pressing urban needs.

Together, City Tech, Intel, and our partners are using foundational technologies to enable faster and more scalable solutions to urban challenges.

Intel is the ideal partner to bring the knowledge, products, and capabilities necessary to strengthen the cyberphysical foundation for smart city innovation. While the company is perhaps best known for processors found in PCs and data centers, it also supplies computing power that can scale out to cost-efficient edge nodes, as well as storage and network connectivity. Beyond hardware, Intel leads the OneAPI initiative, a unified programming model intended to deliver a common experience for developers across the many platforms used for smart city deployment. Intel’s leadership across foundational technology layers yields a deep understanding of the opportunities and next steps for solutions.

Building smarter cities is within our reach, but good intentions won’t bridge the gaps among disconnected, siloed solutions. Technology is often spread across multiple providers, vendors, and hosts; closed systems do not account for or complement each other; and many-to-many partnerships are always more complicated than they seem. Without resolving these issues, however, stakeholders miss opportunities for economies of scale and expansion of successful solutions.

No single company specializes in all the ingredients needed to make a smart city. Architecture and planning firms design our buildings, roads, and other infrastructure. Utility providers supply energy, water, and hardwired connectivity. Technology companies build new sensors, processors, and other tools to collect data and make sense of it. And local governments have the daunting task of coalescing all of these into a vision for the future and regulating cities to serve their residents and the public good.

Against this rich and complex landscape, City Tech and Intel are committed to cross-sector collaboration, to strengthening urban tech foundations, and to creating innovative solutions that are greater than the sum of their parts.

About City Tech Collaborative (City Tech): City Tech is an urban solutions accelerator that tackles problems too big for any single sector or organization to solve alone. City Tech’s work uses IoT sensing networks, advanced analytics, and urban design to create scalable, market ready solutions. Current initiatives address advanced mobility, healthy cities, connected infrastructure, and emerging growth opportunities. City Tech was born and raised in Chicago, and every city is a potential partner. Visit www.CityTech.org and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn .

About Intel Corporation: Intel is an industry leader, creating world-changing technology that enables global progress and enriches lives. We stand at the brink of several technology inflections—artificial intelligence (AI), 5G network transformation, and the rise of the intelligent edge—that together will shape the future of technology. Silicon and software drive these inflections, and Intel is at the heart of it all. Data has emerged as a transformational force in an era where an explosion of devices permeates all our interactions. Government agencies, hospitals, manufacturing plants, and even automobiles are becoming factories of data. That data must be moved, stored, and processed faster and more securely than ever before. We are unleashing the potential of data to unlock value for people and society and the governments that serve them, on a global scale.

Millennium Gateway Innovation Lab Featured in Parking & Mobility Magazine

Mon, 15 Jun 2020 15:40:15 GMT

City Tech Collaborative and IPMI Launch a New Cross-Sector Collaboration to Shape the Future of Parking

Before coronavirus slammed on the brakes in cities across the country, urban parking and mobility were already in a state of profound transformation.

In a new era of online reservations, ride hailing and vehicle sharing, electrification and automation, boundless data and countless journey planning tools, the beaten path suddenly looks a lot less familiar, and all of the wheels are squeaky.

In response to this rapidly changing landscape, City Tech Collaborative launched the Millennium Gateway Innovation Lab to explore, develop, deploy, and scale new urban parking solutions and business models. Taking a unique and inclusive approach, the Lab is reimagining parking as a critical access point to a more closely connected system of urban places, modes, and services. To do so, City Tech and its partners are integrating parking with other public and private transportation systems, adopting new technology for smarter asset management, and cultivating value-added services and space uses.

Read the full article in the June 2020 issue of Parking & Mobility Magazine , the International Parking & Mobility Institute's flagship publication

The Largest US Parking Facility Is Transforming Into an Innovation Lab

Wed, 18 Mar 2020 02:25:17 GMT

City Tech, along with founding partners Millennium Garages, SP+ and Arrive, hope the initiative will help to re-envision how other parking facilities can be used to connect people with new transportation modes; charge electric vehicles (EVs); create freight and logistics opportunities; and more.

Cailin Crowe, CCrowe@IndustryDive.com

This article originally appeared in Smart Cities Dive ( link )

Dive Brief:

Urban solutions accelerator City Tech Collaborative is helping to transform a 3.8 million-square-foot underground parking facility in Chicago, known as Millennium Garages, into the Millennium Gateway Innovation Lab.

The lab will be a "cross-sector consortium" to implement new tech solutions that will utilize parking facilities like Millennium Garages — the largest downtown public parking system in the United States — to address today’s pressing urban pain points like congestion and EV charging infrastructure.

City Tech, along with founding partners Millennium Garages, SP+ and Arrive, hope the initiative will help to re-envision how other parking facilities can be used to connect people with new transportation modes; charge electric vehicles (EVs); create freight and logistics opportunities; and more.

Source: Millennium Garages

Dive Insight:

The L ab’s first project will gather real-time information using sensors at EV charging stations. With that information, garage managers can communicate the availability of parking spaces and track occupancy to help with pricing and capital investments.

Parking garages shouldn’t be thought of as solely places to park cars, but as facilities to access services, Millennium Gateway Innovation Lab Manager Firas Suqi told Smart Cities Dive. Millennium Garage's location in downtown Chicago, for example, has access to public transit, jobs and schools all nearby, he said.

"Physical spaces – like parking garages – hold infinite potential to be an asset to cities beyond their current use," Millennium Garages CEO Rick West said in a statement.

Failing to meet Chicago's evolving mobility demands could be costly. By 2030, Chicago residents could experience 25% more passenger miles traveled; a 50% drop in commutes using mass transit and a 15% increase in congestion if the city doesn't leverage the latest technology and solutions, according to McKinsey & Company .

Chicago was recently ranked as one of the top five worst cities for congestion in the U.S.

To help address the myriad of new mobility issues, City Tech also launched a solution in February to help Chicago m anage its curbside traffic. Along with parking, curbs are increasingly being viewed as a valuable asset for cities. City Tech's curb solution helps cities maximize the value of that asset by understanding how the space is used and its value for different competing groups like restaurant delivery, public transportation, freight providers and personal vehicles.

City Tech isn't alone in its work to repurpose parking garages into multi-purpose hubs. Parking management company FlashParking raised $60 million in January to help expand mobility hubs to 40% of U.S. cities in the next three to five years, or about 22,000 hubs.

The new solution will use data on economic activity and curb usage to model curb demand and value for the different groups competing for that space — whether it's a delivery service, public transportation, freight providers or personal vehicles. The group will build tools for cities to manage operations at the curb with pricing, data and other technology.

Read this article at Smart Cities Dive .

About Civic Infrastructure Collaborative:

About City Tech Collaborative (City Tech):