The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted public transportation patterns in 2020 in a way never seen before. It exacerbated and exposed the inequalities that already exist in urban centers across America. As cities begin to imagine and implement new modes of mobility, how can we ensure the evolution is equitable? This panel features three cities that are piloting innovative new programs to decrease emissions and increase equitable access to transportation. Leaders of mobility innovation in three major metropolitan areas will discuss a range of topics such as micro-mobility, alternative transportation infrastructure developments, and zero-emissions zones.

The combined focus on infrastructure and social justice is bringing to light new challenges and opportunities, including what it means to “build back better.”
Facilities such as coal-fired power plants and incinerators emit mercury, arsenic, lead and other toxic contaminants and climate pollution into the air, water and soil. Even highways can play a role in how cities can unwittingly separate races and classes. How do we change this dynamic? This conversation looks at how race and class play a role in siting, building and operating infrastructural projects.

VERGE Accelerate is a series of fast-pitch competitions featuring leading climate tech startups. Today’s session highlights five entrepreneurs building solutions for water infrastructure. Hear expert reactions to each pitch and then cast your vote to help determine the winner, who will get to pitch in the main stage finals on Thursday, October 28.

The UN predicts that 68 percent of the world’s population will live in urban areas by 2050. So, how do we make cities smarter, more sustainable and more resilient? A “smart city” is one that leverages technology to increase efficiencies and improve the quality of services for its residents. Several data-driven smart city initiatives have been launched globally, transforming the management of everything from street lights to waste collection. During this session, we’ll speak with leaders who have implemented such programs on a local level and discuss possibilities for their application to cities around the world.

How can innovative technologies help us meet the water demands of a growing population?
The U.S. Congress’ $35 billion Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act would allow communities with aging water lines to make long-needed upgrades. But this investment would also allow us to reimagine where our drinking water could be sourced. In this session, we explore new water trends such as atmospheric water generation, also known as zero-source water, and micro-desalination, that are helping to secure water access for future generations and allow for more remote communities to access water.

A net-zero, climate-resilient future means we must rethink the materials with which we build our infrastructure. Today, so-called green steel and concrete are coming out of the laboratory and into increasing use, lowering the carbon footprint of buildings, streets, and other facilities. And yet these materials can be expensive and hard to source, and local codes may even prohibit their use. What will it take to bring these materials to scale? What are the finance, technology and policy innovations that will enable them to replace their carbon-intensive incumbents?

Over the past 18 months, cities have responded to the COVID crisis by experimenting with a variety of measures and programs that repurpose streets, including expanding bike lanes and bike share programs, activating open streets, permitting outdoor dining and parklets, partnering with mobility providers, cutting waste, and beautifying public spaces. Now, many of those changes are becoming permanent as cities find that their popularity (coupled with federal stimulus money) has created a once-in-a-century opportunity to rethink streets, transit, mobility and city life in general. This session will feature programs that have been successful in reducing car use and increasing pedestrian use.

The circular economy is an elegant alternative to prevailing siloed, short-sighted and waste-ridden practices across the built environment. It’s about more than zero-waste programs and diverting construction and demolition waste from landfills. Circularity offers a compelling opportunity to rethink the ecosystem and value chain around the design, construction, operation, renewal and repurposing of buildings. It takes a longer-term view of the lifecycle of a building, considering the past, present and future use of materials and components within the wider economic ecosystem. Accordingly, a circular built environment reimagines use periods, ownership models and supply chain interactions. However, this new framework is still in its early days, and will require broad engagement and buy-in from all stakeholders: designers, architects and contractors to investors, tenants and local governments.

Join this panel discussion for an introduction to the circular economy in the built environment, and gain actionable insights about what it will take to bring theory into practice. Learn from leading industry experts about real-world examples of a circular built environment — from sourcing reclaimed materials to implementing adaptive reuse projects to designing buildings as material banks — and how these strategies can help address climate change and achieve your company or city’s net zero ambitions. Attendees will also learn about resources and tools to help you unlock new opportunities and apply these principles wherever you sit in the building industry.