Building a Fairer Future for NYC

The sensors are already in place, detecting floods before they cause significant damage. Artificial intelligence is helping identify dangerous intersections before crashes happen. Data is revealing which neighborhoods lack essential services — and why.

Those accomplishments offer a glimpse of what is possible when technology is used for public good. At the daylong Building a Fairer Future summit, hosted by NYU Tandon School of Engineering in partnership with the City University of New York (CUNY), researchers, non-profit leaders, entrepreneurs, and industry experts gathered at 7 World Trade Center to explore how technology, academic research, and public-private partnerships can address transportation inequities, housing challenges, public health concerns, and other quality-of-life issues across New York City.

Opening speakers emphasized the importance of collaboration. Deputy Mayor Helen Arteaga encouraged researchers and entrepreneurs to view government as a partner in developing solutions for New Yorkers. Juan de Pablo, Executive Dean of NYU Tandon and NYU’s Executive Vice President for Global Science and Technology, highlighted NYU’s commitment to addressing real-world challenges through partnerships with city agencies.

Those efforts are already producing results. NYU researchers have deployed hundreds of FloodNet sensors that provide real-time flood warnings, while the university’s C2SMART Transportation Research Center has developed award-winning AI tools that identify crash risks and improve transportation safety.

One of the summit’s keynote speakers, Kaan Ozbay, director of C2SMART, described how data and technology are transforming urban mobility. C2SMART’s Congestion Pricing Dashboard, which integrates information from more than 900 traffic cameras, allows city leaders to monitor policy impacts in real time. Early indicators suggest reductions in traffic volume, improvements in air quality, and historically low traffic fatalities.

Ozbay also outlined future opportunities, including AI-driven traffic safety systems, autonomous vehicle zones, predictive infrastructure maintenance, and equity-focused transportation solutions that improve access to jobs, education, and healthcare. He noted that emerging technologies — including quantum computing — could eventually help optimize everything from traffic flow to emergency evacuations.

The summit’s second keynote speaker, Julia Stoyanovich, director of NYU Tandon’s Center for Responsible AI and co-director of the NYC AI Exchange, focused on ensuring that AI serves the public fairly and transparently.

Using examples of AI systems that produced inaccurate or misleading information, Stoyanovich argued that safeguards must be built into technology from the beginning. As AI increasingly influences decisions involving employment, lending, public services, and criminal justice, she emphasized the need for transparency, accountability, independent audits, and meaningful community involvement.

Her message was straightforward: AI cannot remain a “black box” when it affects people’s lives.

The summit also highlighted the role of startups in addressing New York’s transportation challenges.

Two companies connected to NYU Tandon’s Urban Future Lab shared their work. David Hammer, co-founder of Popwheels, described the company’s battery-swapping network for e-bike riders, which reduces downtime and helps address safety concerns related to lithium-ion batteries.

Su Sanni, co-founder of Dollaride, discussed efforts to connect riders with the city’s longstanding network of “dollar vans,” which often serve neighborhoods with limited public transportation. He also outlined a vision for an equitable, zero-emission transportation system that supports underserved communities while helping small fleet owners transition to electric vehicles.

Their presentations demonstrated how innovation can emerge when entrepreneurs receive support, funding, and opportunities to address real-world urban challenges.

Throughout the day, experts from academia and industry participated in discussions on transportation, housing, AI, data, and public health.

True Partnership: When Government Can Harness the Power of Industry and Academia

Moderator: Linda Boyle (Vice Dean for Research, NYU Tandon)
Panelists: Tiya Gordon (It's Electric), Camille Kamga (Professor of Civil Engineering and Director of Region 2’s University Transportation Research Center, CUNY), Sarah Kaufman (Director of NYU Rudin Center for Transportation), Anthony Perez (Northeast Policy Manager, Waymo), and Polly Trottenberg (Dean of NYU Wagner School of Public Service)

Panelists agreed that emerging transportation technologies — including autonomous vehicles, electric charging infrastructure, and microtransit services — have the potential to expand mobility and improve access. However, they stressed that these technologies must be deployed intentionally so that benefits reach all neighborhoods, not just affluent ones.

A recurring theme was the importance of collaboration among government, academia, and industry, with universities serving as independent evaluators of new technologies before large-scale deployment.

Transportation, Housing, Land-Use, and Development

Moderator: Regina Myer (President and CEO of Downtown Brooklyn Partnership)
Panelists: Joseph Chow (Deputy Director of Tandon’s C2SMART Transportation Research Center), Michael Kodransky (Adjunct Professor in the Department of Urban Policy and Planning, Hunter College, CUNY), Su Sanni (CEO of Dollaride), and Jeremy Tillunger (Director of Public Policy at Via)

Another discussion focused on the relationship between transportation investments and housing affordability. Research shows that improved transit access often increases property values, which can unintentionally displace long-term residents unless affordability protections are included.

Panelists argued that transportation planning must be coordinated with housing and land-use policy. Transit improvements, zoning reforms, and affordable housing requirements should be developed together to ensure that access improves without accelerating displacement.

The New York AI Exchange

Moderator: Julia Stoyanovich (Director of NYU Tandon’s Center for Responsible AI)
Panelists: Adam Blasioli (Chief of Staff, New York Jobs CEO Council), Aankit Patel (University Dean for Tech and Computing, CUNY). Jenny Warren (Director of Programs, Decoded Futures)

Panelists discussed the work of the New York AI Exchange, an initiative led by NYU’s Center for Responsible AI that brings together researchers, policymakers, educators, industry leaders, labor representatives, and community organizations.

Participants highlighted promising applications for AI, including infrastructure maintenance, social-service optimization, and government operations. At the same time, they stressed that AI systems must be transparent, auditable, and developed with community input to avoid reinforcing existing inequities.

Does Progress in AI Lead to NYC's Economic Development?

Moderator: Brian Gibney (Dean for the Sciences, CUNY Graduate Center)
Panelists: Emily Black (Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, NYU Tandon; Center for Urban Science + Progress), Eli Dvorkin (Editorial & Policy Director, Center for an Urban Future), Micah Kotch (Partner, Blackhorn Ventures), Alex Spyropoulos (Senior Director, Policy & Government Relations, Tech:NYC)

Another panel examined whether AI can drive economic growth while benefiting workers and communities.

Participants argued that New York possesses significant advantages, including world-class universities, a diverse workforce, and concentrations of industries well positioned to benefit from AI innovation. However, they acknowledged concerns about automation and unequal distribution of economic gains.

The discussion emphasized policies that encourage AI systems to complement human workers, create jobs, expand training opportunities, and direct benefits toward communities that have historically been excluded from technology-sector growth.

Data for Good

Moderator: Michael Kodransky (Adjunct Professor in the Department of Urban Policy and Planning, Hunter College, CUNY)
Panelists: Yuki Muira (Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, NYU Tandon; Center for Urban Science + Progress), Takahiro Yabe (Assistant Professor of Technology Management and Innovation, NYU Tandon, Center for Urban Science + Progress), Steven Romalewski (Director, CUNY Mapping Service, Center for Urban Research, CUNY Graduate Center)

Experts also explored how data can improve public policy. New York generates enormous quantities of information through transit systems, sensors, mobile devices, and public services. When analyzed effectively, that data can help policymakers better understand economic activity, transportation patterns, and community needs.

However, panelists warned that data collection is often uneven. Wealthier neighborhoods tend to generate more comprehensive datasets, creating a risk that data-driven policies could unintentionally overlook underserved communities. They emphasized the need for data equity, transparency, and community access to information.

Safer and Healthier Outcomes Through Data

Moderator: Anton Rozkhov (Industry Assistant Professor and Director of the M.S. in Urban Data Science Program, Center for Urban Science + Progress)
Panelists: Maurizio Porfiri (Director of the Center for Urban Science + Progress; Director of the Urban Institute, NYU Tandon), Andrea Silverman (Associate Professor of Civil and Urban Engineering, NYU Tandon; Principal Investigator of Floodnet), Bruce Y. Lee (Professor of Health Policy and Management, CUNY School of Public Health), Naresh Devineni (Professor of Civil Engineering, CUNY)

The final panel highlighted examples of data-driven public health and safety initiatives already operating across the city.

Andrea Silverman discussed FloodNet’s real-time flood monitoring system, which helps residents avoid dangerous conditions and supports emergency response efforts. Maurizio Porfiri described research revealing disparities in access to medical specialists across New York City, demonstrating how data can expose inequities that might otherwise remain hidden.

Panelists agreed that technologies such as flood sensors, air-quality monitors, and public-health data systems should be deployed first in the communities facing the greatest risks. They also emphasized that data only creates value when it leads to meaningful action and strong partnerships among researchers, government agencies, and residents.

The summit concluded with a conversation among institutional leaders about how to translate ideas into lasting change.

Juan de Pablo committed NYU’s research expertise to helping address city priorities through projects such as FloodNet, transportation safety research, health-equity initiatives, and future technologies including quantum computing.

Julie Samuels, president and CEO of Tech: NYC, pledged to connect city agencies with technology companies and help scale innovations that benefit underserved communities.

Joshua Brumberg, president of the CUNY Graduate Center, emphasized CUNY’s role in advancing research grounded in community needs and preparing a diverse workforce to address the city’s most pressing challenges.

All three leaders stressed that their commitments extend beyond any single administration. The partnerships formed among universities, government, and industry are intended to create lasting frameworks for improving how New York uses innovation to serve the public.

The message that emerged from the summit was clear: many of the technologies needed to build a more equitable city already exist. The challenge now is sustaining the collaboration, investment, and political commitment necessary to ensure that those solutions reach the communities that need them most.

Special thanks to:

Juan de Pablo, NYU Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Executive Vice President for Global Science and Technology; Executive Dean, NYU Tandon School of Engineering

Tal Kerret, President, Silverstein Properties

Julie Samuels, President and CEO, Tech:NYC

Polly Trottenberg, Dean, NYU Wagner School of Public Service

Rosemarie Wesson, Associate Vice Chancellor and University Vice Provost for Research, CUNY

Helen Arteaga, Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services