Local Infrastructure Hub

Bridging the Gap: Funding Broadband for All
2023-09-26 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
Join the Local Infrastructure Hub to discuss the BEAD program and how you can submit a competitive application to expand broadband access in your community. Featured speakers include Evan Feinman, Deputy Associate Administrator for Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment; Mayors; and Kathryn de Wit, Project Director of Broadband Access Initiative at The Pew Charitable Trusts. Register today!

A SMART Approach to Road Innovation
2023-09-12 14:00 - 15:00
Join the Local Infrastructure Hub to discuss the best strategies for improving transportation safety and efficiency for your residents. Featured speakers include Ben Levine, Senior Advisor, Research & Technology, USDOT; Mayor Justin Bibb of Cleveland, OH ; Mayor Jeni Arndt of Fort Collins, CO; Mayor Craig Greenberg of Louisville, KY; and Karina Ricks, Partner, Cityfy. Register today!

Partnerships for Advancing Clean Water Infrastructure
2023-08-08 14:00 - 15:00
Join federal environmental policy experts, Mayors, and leaders in the field to discuss the best strategies for working with your state’s leadership to enhance your cities water quality infrastructure.

Reconnecting Communities for Economic Mobility
2023-07-25 14:00 - 15:00
The Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods (RCN) Grant Program through USDOT — funded with $3.2 billion over the next 5 years — is the first-ever federal program designed to reconnect communities that were previously cut off from economic opportunities by transportation infrastructure. Join us on Tuesday, July 25, alongside Christopher Coes, Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy at the U.S. Department of Transportation; Mayor Regina Romero of Tucson, AZ; Mayor Layne Wilkerson of Frankfort, KY; and Mayor David Anderson of Kalamazoo, MI to highlight winning projects from the 2022 grant cycle and discuss best practices for cities applying in 2023.

Coding the Curb: Winning Solutions from the 2022 SMART Grant Program
2023-07-20 14:00 - 15:00
Curbs are one of the most important, yet undervalued asset in the urban public realm. As cities confront new patterns of activity, new demands on the public right of way, and fiscal and environmental challenges, curbs are a critical platform for driving change.
The second of two Technology + Innovation Center webinars highlighting awards from the 2022 Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grants Program, this webinar looks at how cities are deploying a variety of approaches to developing curb data platforms. Questions to be answered include:

What are the short- and long-term goals of curb coding efforts?
What data do cities plan to collect? How will it be used, what value is created, and how will it be managed?
What core technologies and data standards are available and what must be developed?
How will cities incentivize various stakeholders to participate?
Who does what? How are cities enlisting vendors and other partners to design, deploy and operate these solutions?

Navigating IRA Tax Credits for Local Leaders
2023-07-18 14:00 - 15:00
Join The Local Infrastructure Hub on Tuesday, July 18 at 2 p.m. ET to learn more about Inflation Reduction Act tax credits and the benefits that they will bring to your residents. IRA contains several tax credits in service of increasing America’s competitiveness in the clean energy economy. Featured speakers include Laurel Blatchford, Chief Implementation Officer, Inflation Reduction Act, US Department of Treasury; John Podesta, Senior Adviser to the President for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation; Alexander Dane, Senior Manager for Clean Energy Innovation & Partnerships, World Resources Institute; and Mayor Erin Mendenhall of Salt Lake City, UT.

Digitizing the Last Mile: How SMART Grant Winners Are Modernizing Urban Freight Management
2023-06-28 14:00 - 15:00
The first of two Technology + Innovation Center webinars highlighting technology and innovation awards made through US DOT’s 2022 SMART Grants Program, this webinar will explore the solutions for urban freight management in U.S. cities.
The pandemic dramatically accelerated the growth of goods moving on city streets as people shifted to online shopping. These freight flows, focused on rapid delivery within residential areas, are different from anything cities have encountered before. And they have created enormous challenges for cities’ efforts to improve safety, manage congestion, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Protecting our Nation's Transportation System
2023-06-20 14:00 - 15:00
On the 1 year anniversary of the Local Infrastructure Hub, join federal transportation policy experts, Mayors, and leaders in the field to discuss the best strategies for tackling climate change by improving the resilience of the surface transportation system.

Putting ARPA Funds into Action
2023-06-14 16:00 - 17:00
While SLFRF funds were not affected by the debt ceiling agreement, cities have strategic interests in obligating and spending the awarded funds quickly. Yet, many cities have not been able to spend much of their federal funds so far. As cities navigate the many challenges of accessing and spending federal funding, our experts are available to share best practices on obligating and spending SLFRF funds strategically and expeditiously.

Advancing Workforce Equity in BIL
2023-05-16 14:00 - 15:00
This session will discuss workforce development provisions in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, with a focus on empowering cities to promote equity in infrastructure. Featured speakers include Paige Shevlin, Strategic Advisor for Infrastructure Workforce Development, U.S. Department of Transportation, Darrell Byers, CEO, Interise, and mayors.
Webinar Resources

Webinar Recording
5 Winning Strategies for Incorporating Workforce Provisions in BIL Projects

Tech and Innovation Center Series
2023-05-10 14:00 - 15:00
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provides more than $65 billion for broadband infrastructure. The bulk of these funds will be administered by state governments. With states finalizing Five-Year Action Plans for federal review, cities are preparing for these new opportunities to expand access to reliable, affordable, high-speed internet service. This session will provide a deep dive into strategies cities can use to make the most of these funding opportunities:

What kinds of broadband technologies and networks are eligible for funding, and what innovative approaches to future-proofing these investments are available?
What data should cities invest to maximize access to and impact of broadband funds as state plans roll out? How can cities use these data to evaluate state investments?
States seeking Digital Equity funds are required to develop digital equity plans. Do cities need their own digital equity plans?
What opportunities exist for combining and layering multiple programs and sources of broadband funding to maximize impact?
What innovative approaches to funding broadband investments for multi-family housing are available?

Safe Streets and Roads for All: Insights from 2022 Winners
2023-05-09 14:00 - 15:00
Join The Local Infrastructure Hub on Tuesday, May 9 at 2 p.m. ET. for the next session – Safe Streets and Roads for All: Insights from 2022 Winners. As cities prepare to apply for the 2023 Safe Streets and Roads for All grant opportunity, this session will highlight winning projects from 2022 and provide insights to future applicants. Our federal experts and local leaders will share best practices and lessons learned with participants. Featured speakers include Emily Schweninger, Policy Advisor for Safety, U.S. Department of Transportation; Mayor Jane Castor of Tampa, FL; Mayor Frank Cownie of Des Moines, IA; Mayor Martha Guerrero of West Sacramento, CA; and Ryan Russo, Principal, Together Projects LLC!

Advancing Environmental Protections for All: An Earth Day Celebration
2023-04-25 14:00 - 15:00
Join the Local Infrastructure Hub for the next session – Advancing Environmental Protections for All: An Earth Day Celebration on Tues. April 25 at 2 p.m. ET. This session will discuss the Urban and Community Forestry Grants under the Inflation Reduction Act and explore how equity and climate policy intersect with the Administration’s Justice40 initiative. Featured speakers include Brenda Mallory, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, The White House; Mike Bloomberg, former Mayor of New York City and Founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies; Mayor Kathy Sheenan of Albany, NY; Mayor Lauren McClean of Boise, ID; Angela Tovar, Chief Sustainability Officer, City of Chicago; Joel Pannell, VP of Urban Forest Policy, American Forests; and more!

Innovative Solutions for Safe Streets
2023-04-12 14:00 - 15:00
Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A), a new program established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, provides more than $5 billion in new federal funding for planning and implementation of strategies to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries. U.S. DOT announced awards for implementation grants from the program’s first round.
How do technology innovations fit into successful SS4A projects? What makes for winning technology-enabled proposals? With SS4A’s second round tentatively scheduled to kick off in April 2023, this session will provide participants with an opportunity to learn from cities implementing tech innovations funded through the program’s FY2022 discretionary funding round.

EECBG Implementation
2023-04-04 14:00 - 15:00
This session will provide technical insights to city leaders as they complete their applications to secure Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Featured speakers include Andi Mirviss, Management and Program Analyst, Department of Energy, and Tara Brown, Senior Manager of Service Delivery at Institute for Market Transformation (IMT).
Attendees will leave with a clear sense of the key components of the grant, upcoming technical assistance opportunities, and the best strategies for submitting a competitive application.

Electric Vehicles: Opportunities for Local Leaders
2023-03-30 14:00 - 15:00
As the administration continues to roll out historic investments in electric vehicles, join the Hub to learn more about the forthcoming electric vehicles NOFO and the best strategies for securing funding for an equitable electric vehicle program in your city. This session will feature expert insights from the U.S. Department of Transportation, mayors on the vanguard of expanding access to electric vehicles, the Electrification Coalition, and more!

Webinar Resources

Grant Application Bootcamp Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Guidance and Tools
Developing a successful Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging and Fueling Grant Program Application
Webinar Recording

Electric Buses: Lessons from Early Adopters
2023-03-15 14:00 - 15:00
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act expanded federal funding for low or no emission buses more than six-fold to some $1.6 billion. This historic investment will provide assistance for 150 bus fleets and facilities to reduce air pollution and carbon dioxide emissions.
This session will provide an inside look at U.S. cities’ experiences with electric buses to date. How have these early adopters navigated procurement, workforce, and other operational challenges? Guests will share their lessons and advice for cities as they prepare to submit applications to the federal Transit Administration’s FY2023 Low or No Emission Vehicle program.
Webinar Resources

Watch the recording!

IRA Guidance for Local Leaders
2023-02-28 14:00 - 15:00
This session will discuss strategies for local leaders to maximize their communities’ benefits from the programs available through the Inflation Reduction Act, including consumer-facing tax credits, building retrofits and conversion to cleaner forms of energy. Speakers will describe the technical assistance and resources available for local leaders to unlock the full potential of the law and move forward on their climate priorities.

Advancing Clean Water and Wastewater Infrastructure
2023-02-14 14:00 - 15:00
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) delivers more than $50 billion to improve our nation’s drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure — the single largest investment in water that the federal government has ever made. This historic investment will increase access to safe drinking water, restore clean water in communities and wild spaces, mitigate stormwater in a safe and controlled manner, and more.
This session will provide an overview of major EPA Water and Wastewater BIL funding streams and the regulatory agenda that will impact project priorities and funding. The session will also examine funding for lead pipes, the water-energy nexus, and emerging contaminants. Finally, we will discuss how cities should be working with their states to access funding for clean water and wastewater infrastructure projects.
Webinar Resources
Funding Available for Advancing Clean Water and Wastewater Infrastructure

Transformative Technologies for Transportation Resilience
2023-02-08 12:00 - 13:00
Climate change is increasing risks for urban surface transportation across the country. These challenges make it harder and costlier for cities to achieve their mobility goals. This webinar will explore how cities can take advantage of $1.4 billion in competitive grants anticipated through US DOT’s Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation (PROTECT) program. Participants will hear from U.S. cities using a variety of innovative technologies and tactics to improve our understanding and mitigate climate-related transportation systems risks.
Webinar Resources

Practical advice and big ideas for tech-enhanced transportation resilience

Blending and Braiding BIL and IRA funding streams for Green Infra
2023-01-31 14:00 - 15:00
This session is focused on how IRA and BIL funding streams can be integrated for different types of infrastructure projects, particularly green infrastructure projects.
Webinar Resources

Webinar Recording
Link to the TA programs available through EPA: https://www.epa.gov/advance/resources-and-technical-assistance
https://bloombergcities.jhu.edu/federal-assistance-e311-events
AFA’s IIJA Federal Investment guide: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d9f9365f67b454b1ce2dc2f/t/61bcc04bf1f53508adc9c92c/1639759961138/IIJA+Investment+Guide.pdf
Check out the great C40 Guidebook on IRA https://www.c40knowledgehub.org/s/article/Climate-action-and-the-Inflation-Reduction-Act-A-guide-for-local-government-leaders?language=en_US
https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_fy22-bric-technical-assistance-psm.pdf
Another infrastructure resource for municipalities from Brookings Metro https://www.brookings.edu/interactives/brookings-federal-infrastructure-hub/

Local Infrastructure Hub session at U.S. Conference of Mayors Winter Meeting: The Future of Broadband and Transportation
2023-01-19 11:45 - 12:45
Mayors will hear from federal officials on historic infrastructure grant opportunities that can transform their cities and discuss what federal agencies are looking for under competitive programs.
Moderator: Andrew J. Ginther, Mayor of Columbus, OH
Remarks Transforming Transportation through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
Carlos Monje, Under Secretary for Policy United States Department of Transportation
Remarks Cities and the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program
Alan Davidson, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator United States Department of Commerce
Local Infrastructure Hub: Opportunity Finder
Jaime Lavin, Government Innovation Bloomberg Philanthropies
Please note: only registered participants in the US Conference of Mayors Winter Meeting will be able to attend

Fair Paths to EV Charging
2023-01-11 14:00 - 15:00
The infrastructure of motorization cleaved deep divides in the American landscape. As cities think about EV charging projects, they need to understand what kinds of infrastructure investments will create fairer outcomes. This event brought together innovators from municipal utilities, national research labs, and sustainable energy advocacy organizations who are developing the next generation of tools cities can use for planning more equitable rollouts of vehicle charging infrastructure.

Webinar Resources

Event Recording
Takeaways: Fair paths to EV charging

Revisiting Federal Funding Oversight
2023-01-05 14:00 - 15:00
Learn from representatives of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) about leading risks for fraud, waste and abuse in federal funding programs and strategies for mitigating these risks.

Sustainable and Equitable Transportation: RAISE and Looking Ahead with USDOT
2022-12-13 14:00 - 15:00
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) more than doubled funding for USDOT’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program. RAISE helps communities move forward on projects that make our transportation systems safer and more accessible, affordable, and sustainable.
This Delivering Results Workshop will focus on how local leaders can develop competitive RAISE applications. Experts and special guests will provide critical insights that will help you advance transportation infrastructure projects that improve quality of life, connectivity, and innovation. The webinar will also highlight key USDOT funding opportunities coming next year that will ensure cities are prepared to tap into opportunities to transform their transportation systems.

The Surprising Technology of Nature-Based Solutions
2022-12-05 14:00 - 15:00
Natural features and processes are vital tools for building resilient communities and infrastructure. But even as we shift away from “gray” infrastructure approaches like dams, seawalls, roads, pipes and water treatment plants, technology can evolve to play a new supportive role. This webinar will bring city leaders together with experts in predictive risk analytics, remote sensing, and control systems to understand opportunities for digital technologies that can enable and enhance nature-based approaches to resilience with better data, models, and automation.
Webinar Resources
Click Here to Access the Webinar Recording
Slide Deck: The Surprising Technology of Nature-Based Solutions (PDF)

One Year Anniversary of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: Workforce Opportunities and Strategies
2022-11-29 14:00 - 15:00
November marks one year since the signing of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), a historic federal investment in our communities, economic growth, workforce, and infrastructure.
This Local Infrastructure Hub session focused on the workforce development opportunities in BIL that will improve job quality across the country, outlining key strategies for local leaders to tap into workforce funding opportunities. During this session, participants had the opportunity to speak directly with leading experts and mayors from across the country. Special guests shared critical insights on successful workforce programs around the country and lift up emerging best practices and partnerships that can drive effective workforce strategies at the local level.
Webinar Resources
5 winning strategies for leveraging Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) dollars to meet workforce development and job creation goals in your city

Cybersecurity Funding and Solutions
2022-10-31 13:00 - 14:15
On Monday, October 31 at 1pm-2:15pm ET, the Federal Assistance e311 Program will be hosting a webinar on Cybersecurity Funding and Solutions. Experts from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Ernst & Young, and the Global Cyber Alliance will discuss cybersecurity funding available through the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The webinar will provide participants with an understanding of (1) how to access funding opportunities, the application process, and methods to optimize funding; and (2) cybersecurity risks and tools, including best practices, that cities can use to build up their defenses and mitigate risk.

Revolutionizing Transportation: The SMART Program
2022-10-25 14:00 - 15:00
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) established DOT’s historic Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) grant program. SMART will help local communities leverage advanced smart city or community technologies to improve transportation efficiency and safety.
This Local Infrastructure Hub session will focus on how local leaders can develop competitive SMART applications. During this session, you will have the opportunity to speak directly with leading experts and mayors from across the country. Special guests will share critical insights that will help you invest in, expand, and integrate new and emerging ideas and transform your transportation system.
This session will feature several special guest speakers, including:

Dr. Robert Hampshire, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Research and Technology, USDOT
Ben Levine, Senior Advisor, Research and Technology, USDOT
Laura Chace, President and CEO, Intelligent Transportation Society of America.
Mayors Eric Garcetti, Erin Mendenhall, and Travis Stovall will be sharing their cities’ approaches to adapting smart technology in transportation planning.

Webinar Resources
5 winning strategies for building competitive Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) applications (PDF)

Navigating Federal Grants: Building Community Capacity
2022-09-29 14:00 - 15:30
Our Federal Assistance e311 expert partners at Hagerty Consulting and Witt O’Brien’s will provide an overview of grants management models for building internal capacity and share strategies and opportunities for building community capacity to deliver powerful outcomes.
