September 2022 Newsletter: See you at an event this fall! (We’ll be at lots of them)

Falling for Workforce Development at Niagara

We are proud to sponsor and present at the  NYATEP 2022 Fall Conference for Workforce and Economic Development on October 3-5 in Niagara Falls, NY. Our panel, “Building Partnerships Between Small Higher Education Institutions and Large Employers to Strengthen a Regional Workforce,” will discuss how small educational institutions can cultivate partnerships with large regional employers in Central New York and the Finger Lakes region to create a big impact in their communities. Celeste Frye, Aurelia Hogan, and Bebe LeGardeur will be representing the Public Works team, along with our colleagues from Wells College and Del Lago Resort & Casino.

Today, September 9, is the last day for early bird registration for the conference. We hope to see you there!

If you do plan to attend, shoot us an email to let us know you’ll be there. We’d love to catch up.

What We’re Doing

A little rain can’t stop us from celebrating our team

We’re building an impressive track record of rainy day staff outings (2 out of 3 in the past 4 years!), but that hasn’t stopped us from having fun. What better way to enjoy a rainy day in NYC than a tour of a beautiful museum with the amazing Public Works team? For our recent staff outing we explored the Morgan Library & Museum, which is a gem full of history, art, and culture. Once we got back to the office, we connected, shared a lot of laughs, discussed our incredible accomplishments over the past year, and had a team-wide visioning session to assess our growth and look to the future. We ended the evening sharing cold drinks and warm snacks at our new local spot, The Westbury, where everybody knows our name.

Here, there, and at all the events

Every fall, we look forward to the events that slowly take over our calendars from September through the end of the year, from policy forums to galas celebrating organizations that are leaders and changemakers in our communities. This year is no exception.

We are excited to toast Regional Planning Association’s 100-year commitment to advancing research, planning and advocacy to improve the quality of life in the tri-state region at their Centennial Gala on October 6th. Join Public Works Partners CEO & RPA Connecticut Committee Member Celeste Frye there.

On September 15th, Public Works Principal Allison Quigney will join industry leaders at the Future of Work Summit hosted by City & State NY and Coro New York Leadership Center on September 15th at NYU’s Woolworth Campus.

Senior Manager Benjamin Martinez Newman will be attending the Center for an Urban Future’s policy forum, City of Aspiration: Ideas for Making Progress Towards a More Equitable NYC, on October 3rd.

Mind the Gap: E-scooter pilot helps Bronxites reach transit

New York City is defined by transportation, from our 24/7 subway system to our infamous gridlock traffic. Despite this, there are still many gaps in our transportation network. A spate of public-private partnerships, including an e-scooter pilot in the Bronx, have risen to the challenge to bridge these gaps. The e-scooter pilot, a partnership with Lime, Bird, and Veo, is helping to increase micromobility options in transportation deserts in the Bronx. The low cost scooter-share model is promoting equity and helping Bronxites access more traditional transit options, such as buses and subway stations. This kind of impact has huge potential for the rest of NYC. Optimizing efficiency doesn’t have to mean sacrificing affordability or sustainability, because with these innovations, they are built in. Our Analyst, Simon Rosenblum-Larson, explores the rise of micro mobility and the role of the public-private partnership on the Public Works IQ.

One More Thing: Charging towards a greener New York City

Electric vehicles can bring us into a greener future, but there’s a big roadblock in the way of this: the lack of charging stations. Adopting zero-emission vehicles isn’t possible without planning for how we’re going to expand this infrastructure in an equitable and accessible way. CEO Celeste Frye lays out key benefits of getting the rollout of EV infrastructure right for NYN Media.