UrbanTech Free Edition 6.19.21
One Great Juneteenth Read, New UT Podcast, Swiftmile Partners with Miami
Hey folks! Welcome back to a free edition of UrbanTech. I must admit, we are still fine-tuning our newsletter cadence a tad on free vs. paid content, so we appreciate you bearing with us as we get it locked down.
Today’s edition will be short and sweet and mainly point you in some directions to some other long-form content to check out this weekend.
The Atlantic: What the Push to Celebrate Juneteenth Conceals
If you’re looking for one great long read for Juneteenth, this essay from Kellie Carter Jackson cuts through to the cultural meaning of efforts to make it a national federal holiday.
As someone who loves great questions, Jackson is asking poignant and timely ones at a moment of reflection on the meaning of Juneteenth that helped contextualize the days meaning for me as a writer:
“When you are Black in America, how do you celebrate progress? How do you honor the history and memory of emancipation, liberation, and advancement? How do Black people mark a moment when a positive change transformed the trajectory of their lives, their nation?”
The UrbanTech Podcast: UrbanTech Market Map and Interview with NYC Mayoral Candidate Shaun Donovan
Over memorial day weekend, I Interviewed NYC Mayoral Candidate Shaun Donovan to hear his plans if he elected mayor of New York.
Shaun shared his ideas for expanding access to broadband, how to grow NYC’s innovation economy, and more. This conversation was shared early with members of UrbanTech’s Premium community. In the episode, I also discuss the UrbanTech Market Map project and how we are planning to map out the urban tech space as a community.
If you’re interested in contributing to UrbanTech, accessing our job resources, and attending our networking events, please consider joining UrbanTech Community.
Swiftmile Partners with Miami on Plans for World’s Largest Scooter Charging Network
Some quick micromobility news out of Miami this past week: Swiftmile, which develops charging networks for electric vehicles, including scooters, is partnering with Miami’s Parking Authority for what’s planned to be the largest scooter charging network in the world. A spokesperson for Swiftmile shared that the partnership will create space for charging 3,200 e-scooters each day in Miami.
Charging scooters remains a major pain point for operators. Switmile is betting on creating more efficient mobility hubs to helps operators sustain their operations and partner with cities that face the common complaints of micromobility deployments like taking up valuable sidewalk space.
From the city's perspective, Miami continues it seems to be building inroads with startups and tech companies to incentivize growing the region’s innovation economy.
The Miami Movement has a new Silicon Valley startup in town 😎 Thank you @FrancisSuarez & @MayorDaniella for supporting the launch of e-scooter charging stations in Miami! We’re thrilled to join fellow innovators using tech to power a sustainable future for all Miamians.
That’s it for today’s free edition of UrbanTech, I hope you have an awesome weekend!
✌️JT