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Rebooting NYC An Urban Tech Agenda for the Next Administration Draft for Discussion May 2021 Written by Rohit T. Aggarwala Adrian Silver URBAN Michael E. Bloomberg Phillip D. Ellison Victoria M. Woo Matt Stempeck TECH Rebecca Lassman Michael M. Samuelian HUB About the Urban Tech Hub The Urban Tech Hub of the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute at Cornell Tech is a new venture in New York City that generates applied research, fosters an expanding tech ecosystem, and cultivates the next generation of leaders in urban technology. Our goal is to shape the field of urban tech with a human-centered approach that focuses first on the people that use the technology. We advance technology research and education to build a better world by increas- ing access and opportunity within the tech sector. Based at the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute at Cornell Tech, the Urban Tech Hub leverages the resources of Cor- nell University and brings together researchers, engineers, scientists, urban tech companies, government agencies, and community organizations to address the challenges facing cities today. Visit urban.tech.cornell.edu Citation Rohit T. Aggarwala, Michael E. Bloomberg, Victoria M. Woo, Rebecca Lassman, Adrian Silver, Phillip D. Ellison, Matt Stempeck, and Michael M. Samuelian, Rebooting NYC: An Urban Technology Agenda for the Next Administration. Draft for Discussion. Report. New York: Jacobs Cor- nell-Technion Institute, May 2021. Short form: Aggarwala et al., Rebooting NYC, Draft for Discussion. Cover Image: Emma Griffiths Rebooting NYC – Draft for Discussion | May 2021 | 2 Rebooting NYC: An Urban Tech Agenda for the Next Administration A Research Project by the Jacobs Institute’s Urban Tech Hub at Cornell Tech Drones inspecting building facades, a digital wallet for public benefits, affordable broad- band for all and fewer trucks and cars on city streets thanks to new mobility options. These are not sci-fi dreams, but a reality that can be brought to New York City within the next administration using existing technologies. The Urban Tech Agenda for NYC is an applied research initiative dedicated to proactively identifying challenges facing New York City that can be addressed with existing urban technologies. While we know that not all urban problems can be solved with technology, many of them can, but there are significant institutional barriers to adoption of new technologies in city government. It is our hope that the next Mayoral administration will take on this agenda to both improve the performance of urban systems and the quality of life for all New Yorkers. While the COVID-19 pandemic exposed deep existing social, economic and racial inequi- ties in the city, it also accelerated the adoption of new technologies in unexpected ways. This report is the product of over 100 interviews with tech and civic leaders, current and former government officials, and everyday New Yorkers, that focused on the challenges that technology can address in improving both the performance of urban systems and social equity in the city. This is not intended to be a comprehensive plan just yet, but an inspirational guide to the possibilities that new urban technologies can provide. The specific recommendations range in scale and scope from the management and procure- ment of urban systems to the deployment of artificial intelligence to aid city workers and better protect and serve the public. There are five main areas of focus for this report; 1. Lay the groundwork by protecting privacy and ensuring the City can implement technology well 2. Ensure all New Yorkers can participate in the digital economy 3. Optimize urban systems with new, but widely available and trusted technologies 4. Expand the use of digital tools to increase public participation and expand access to government services 5. Futureproof policy to anticipate emerging technologies in advance of their arrival Rebooting NYC – Draft for Discussion | May 2021 | 3 The first two issues are necessary foundations that are required in order to effectuate the useful expansion of urban technology tools and products more widely across the city. It is impossible to discuss expanding the utility of new technologies if people do not have access to the technology in the first place. We believe high-speed broadband is akin to a public utility, and just as we take it as a public mission to deliver clean water to every New Yorker, so should we deliver high-speed internet service. As technologies expand, and more and more of our data is collected, the next administration must make it a priority to protect the privacy of our personal data. Just as public safety is a central mission of local government, digital safety must be ensured by government. The barriers to the adoption of new technologies are many, but so are the opportunities to improve the flow of traffic, the provision of public benefits and the overall quality of life in the City. Finally, this report is being issued as a draft, intended to provoke productive debates and discussions amongst the multitude of stakeholders that make up our diverse city. It is our ultimate goal that these proposals serve as a guide for the next administration to embrace new urban technologies in order to help make New York stronger, fairer and more resilient. We look forward to your comments. Greg Morrisett Michael Samuelian Ron Brachman Jack and Rilla Neafsey Dean Founding Director, Director, Jacobs Technion- and Vice Provost, Cornell Tech Urban Tech Hub Cornell Institute Rebooting NYC – Draft for Discussion | May 2021 | 4 Contents Introduction 6 3.4 Reduce sidewalk sheds by thoroughly testing how drones can evaluate the safety of building facades 77 1. Foundations: Privacy and 3.5 Additional concepts under consideration 85 administration 10 1.1 Enact a law regulating how City agencies and private entities gather and 4. Always open: Make share data from the public realm 11 it easier to engage with 1.2 Make the City an effective purchaser, developer the City 86 and manager of technology projects 24 4.1 Make it easier for New Yorkers to obtain 1.3 Additional concepts under consideration 32 social services through the creation of a data locker and interagency verifications 87 4.2 Make Community Boards more representative 2. Technology equity: by keeping meetings virtual 94 Include everyone in the 4.3 Additional concepts under consideration 103 digital economy 34 2.1 Create a Broadband Development Corporation to bring the internet to all New Yorkers 35 5. Futureproofing: Position 2.2 Additional concepts under consideration 44 NYC to shape the urban technology of the future 107 5.1 Develop rules that shape and 3. Optimized systems: Use encourage emerging technologies in technology to improve the advance of their arrival 108 management of our built environment 46 The Team 114 3.1 Bring safety and order to our streets through digital management and enforcement 47 3.2 Convert and expand bike lanes into Acknowledgements 118 a network that accommodates a variety of new mobility vehicles 60 3.3 Propel New York City’s design and Summary of construction industry into the digital age by recommendations 120 moving to automated code review 69 Rebooting NYC – Draft for Discussion | May 2021 | 5 Introduction The 2021 municipal elections come at a pivotal moment for New York City. The next Mayor, Comptroller, City Council, and elected officials will need to lead the City’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. These newly elected offi- cials will also inherit urban challenges that existed long before the pandemic, many of which have worsened over the past year; from racial inequality and struggling small businesses, to a growing mental health crisis and police reform. New York’s struggles are not unique to New York, but felt across the country and around the world. As it has done time and again, New York must rise to the occasion and set a leading example for our nation. Rebooting NYC – Draft for Discussion | May 2021 | 6 The widespread use of digital technology has helped solve many challenges faced by New Yorkers, but these New York City has a new technologies have too often been accompanied by tremendous opportunity devastating side effects. While platforms like Amazon “ and GrubHub have helped many city residents reduce to show the world how to their exposure to the coronavirus pandemic by offering harness new technology online shopping and delivery services, the increased to improve urban living.” toll it has taken on the workers and small businesses who make those services possible has caused a new set of challenges for the city. Ride-hail companies like Uber and Lyft along with mobility services such as We have tried to avoid the failures of many technology Citibike and Revel have changed the very way we use visions, which frequently descend into technology for our streets. New technologies on the horizon—drones, technology’s sake -- what some term “tech solutionism.” autonomous vehicles, robots—promise that these tech- We have also limited our scope to technologies that driven changes will only continue to accelerate. are readily available to meet the constraints of what can be accomplished in a four-year term of office. We New York City has a tremendous opportunity to have included some initiatives that may not be fully show the world how to harness new technology to completed in four years such as those involving signifi- improve urban living. The Bloomberg Administration cant physical construction, and others, like data privacy was adamant about fostering a robust technology and procurement reforms are initiatives that should be ecosystem in New York, culminating in the creation of continuous in nature. Cornell Tech on Roosevelt Island. The de Blasio Admin- istration has made great strides in centering the role of Our work builds on a rich legacy of long-range thinking design, equity, privacy, security, and citizen engagement voiced by diverse stakeholders in the New York City in the City’s technology strategy.

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