The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy brought government and research professionals together to discuss technical solutions for cities across the country

New York, NY – On Monday, August, 14th, New York University’s Center for Urban Science & Progress (CUSP) participated in the Smart Cities Forum hosted by The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Joining representatives from city government, the research community, and universities across the country, NYU CUSP took part a discussion to address problems and create solutions for operations, planning, and development.

The Smart Cities Forum, held at the White House South Court Auditorium, comes on the heels of the creation of the “Metro Lab Network,” a collection of universities and city government partnerships working toward technical solutions to challenges such as infrastructure, transportation, and distribution of services. Members of the Network will work together to develop shared, scalable solutions that can be deployed in cities across the country.

The forum was attended by representatives from more than 22 cities and universities across the U.S. including Dr. Steven E. Koonin, the founding director of NYU CUSP. “Now, more than ever, cities are supporting rapidly increasing populations,” says Koonin. “The Metro Lab Network presents an opportunity for us to learn from our shared experiences, city to city.”

NYU CUSP’s core mission and relationship with New York City made it a natural candidate for the Metro Lab Network. Using New York City as its laboratory and classroom, CUSP has set out to respond to the City’s challenge by setting the research agenda for ‘the science of cities,’ and educating the next generation of urban scientists in how to apply this research to real-world problems, bring innovative ideas to cities across the world, and create a new, fast-growing and indispensable industry. NYU CUSP is also working with the New York City Mayor’s Office to create a series of neighborhood innovation labs across the five boroughs, building on the work of the CUSP Quantified Community research facility led by Prof. Constantine Kontokosta. The Metro Lab Network will connect NYU CUSP and New York City to other city/university partnerships, ultimately providing a place for city governments and researchers to share ideas and challenges, collaborate on solutions, and learn best practices from one another.

In the coming months, the White House OSTP will announce forthcoming programs that result from the Metro Lab Network. 

About New York University’s Center for Urban Science & Progress

CUSP is a university-wide center whose research and education programs are focused on urban informatics. Using NYC as its lab, and building from its home in the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, it integrates and applies NYU strengths in the natural, data, and social sciences to understand and improve cities throughout the world. CUSP offers a one-year MS degree in Applied Urban Science & Informatics. For more news and information on CUSP, please visit https://cusp.nyu.edu. Follow NYU CUSP on Twitter @NYU_CUSP.

CONTACTS: 

Kim Alfred, CUSP

917-392-0859
kim.alfred@nyu.edu

Elizabeth Latino, The Marino Organization
212-889-0808
elizabeth@themarino.org