ESAL had the opportunity to speak with Queens Deputy Borough President Rhonda Binda, a native of Queens, who has been spearheading the endeavor to ensure the borough becomes a model smart city and remains prosperous.
Infrastructure initiatives and maintenance activities are largely overseen by state and local governments. These entities play a key role in funding, building, and operating roads, bridges, transit, airports, water, sanitation, and countless other forms of infrastructure. Some projects, like road repairs, seek to improve the local economy and the public’s quality of life, and other initiatives, like upgrading water systems, keep the community safe and healthy. The federal government plays a more influential role in capital investment, but state and local spending still accounts for the majority of public capital spending. With reduced federal capital investment, and unpredictable funding from states, local governments have taken on an even greater responsibility of fiscal infrastructure policy.
ESAL had the opportunity to speak with Queens Deputy Borough President Rhonda Binda, a native of Queens, who has been spearheading the endeavor to ensure the borough becomes a model smart city and remains prosperous.
The BLOCK Project is a grassroots program confronting the challenge of skyrocketing rent and property values. The project builds detached accessory dwelling units in backyards to house people. To date, the project has built 10 homes, with another 5 anticipated within the next year.
On December 2, ESAL co-hosted “Creating Safe Post-Pandemic School Systems”, a virtual panel with the Architectural Engineering Institute. Panelists discussed risk management, engineering solutions, and practical considerations for reopening schools.
While electric vehicles are a critical part of local climate change and air pollution mitigation, structural barriers create gaps in charging infrastructure for marginalized communities. ESAL volunteer Chris Jackson recently published a policy brief outlining how policymakers can ensure that those benefits are equitably distributed.
Aimee Bailey's interest in climate change took her from a Ph.D. in condensed matter physics to the local energy utility sector. She now leads a portfolio of electrification initiatives as the director of decarbonization and grid innovation at Silicon Valley Clean Energy.
Jeanne Holm serves as a senior technology advisor to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, as well as deputy chief information officer for Los Angeles. ESAL interviewed Holm about how her scientific training informs her work in LA on infrastructure, mobility, and air quality.
SolarYpsi is an ongoing collection of solar projects in Ypsilanti, Michigan, helping community organizations and households acquire solar power, usually at low or zero cost due to creative financing and volunteer labor. Founder Dave Strenski spoke with ESAL about how their work has transformed Ypsilanti into a “solar destination” with over one megawatt of solar generating capacity.
Ken Massey uses Ph.D training in cardiovascular physiology to bring a technical background to local policy as part of the City Council and as Mayor of Farmington Hills, Michigan. ESAL interviewed Massey about his career trajectory as a scientist, educator, businessman, and elected official.
Peter Colohan, an expert in environmental information, has spent his career helping institutions like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Office of Science and Technology Policy become data savvy. Today, as executive director of the Internet of Water (IoW), he and his team help local and state governments modernize their water data collection in an effort to safeguard and effectively manage one of the most vital resources to human civilization.
