Cityfi Spotlight: Get to know our team
Welcome to another edition of Cityfi Spotlight: an opportunity to get to know our team, and a moment for us to talk about why we love to do what we do. Next, meet Cityfi’s Senior Associate Camron Bridgford (Denver, CO).
Camron, tell us a little bit about your background.
I like to say that the primary driver of my background is curiosity, and it’s led me to some pretty interesting places. I’m originally trained in classical journalism and political science — us journalists are curious by nature! — but have primarily worked on issues of community development and city building within the non-profit and public sectors. This has included doing program management and advocacy work for a public health coalition, leading a team of fund development specialists and grant writers at a nonprofit and social enterprise consultancy, and strategizing on fundraising, community partnerships and program evaluation for Denver Public Library. My graduate degree is in urban and regional planning from the University of Colorado, where I was named outstanding graduate of my class. True to my roots, I also try to pen on urban issues as a freelance journalist in my free time.
If this palette isn’t colorful enough, I also have an undergraduate degree in art history (emphasis in architectural history). I have been known to throw out this fun fact as a life raft if caught in the midst of an awkward cocktail party conversation.
So you’re a planner by background. What made you interested in this area?
First off, I would say that my interest in urban planning is in part the cumulative effect of my professional experiences. Working across the non-profit and public sectors, I frequently intersected with challenges and opportunities in human services, transportation, arts and culture, public health, the environment, and urban design, to name a few. There was a point where I consciously saw how all of these pieces in our cities — these complex, messy, critical, inspiring pieces — were intrinsically tied together. Not only tied together, but capable of deeply affecting one another, and in turn, the lives of residents.
As a planner do you have a paper or electronic planner for your personal life?
I mean, what self-respecting planner doesn’t have a series of competing to-do lists that gives them a false sense of comfort that their life is in order?
If not, explain yourself (I’ll just see myself out for these pun questions)
Clearly, N/A. Thank goodness.
If yes, we are all very jealous of your organization and planning efforts.
Don’t be jealous — start small everyone! At the least, get one of those to-do lists that sticks to your fridge and stares you down with a random assortment of tasks every time you reach for a piece of fruit or cheese.
What are some of the major projects you’ve been a part of while at Cityfi?
Working for Cityfi has been a great opportunity to work in the midst of city building in all the forms it takes. I helped to stand up the Colorado Smart Cities Alliance, a non-profit coalition of municipalities working to pilot innovative and cross-jurisdictional solutions to community challenges. I’ve also worked on the smart cities strategies and playbooks for the City and County of Denver and the City of Aurora, Colorado. I’ve served as the project manager and strategic advisor for the Knight Foundation Autonomous Vehicle Initiative, which seeks to deploy engagement-informed AV pilots in San Jose, Detroit, Miami-Dade County and Pittsburgh to improve community outcomes. I’ve also worked on curbside management and new mobility strategies, policies and pilots for the City of Minneapolis, the City and County of Denver, and Transportation for America’s Smart Cities Collaborative, to name a few.
What was a particular highlight from that experience?
Working with the Knight AV Initiative cohort has been really inspiring. The ability for cities to have a shared platform to pilot technologies and exchange ideas, as well as grapple through challenges and opportunities together is huge, especially as we develop shareable, scalable lessons around mobility, autonomous vehicle technology, and community engagement. This goes to my overall belief that we are better together, and can learn so much from one another, especially in the arenas of civic innovation and emerging technologies.
A pandemic and disruption of this magnitude like we’ve seen with Covid is difficult to plan for. Are you seeing any pilots or ideas from cities that are a good trend to move forward?
As devastating as COVID-19 has been, I do think it’s an opportunity to generate real, structural change where our courage may have been lacking in the past. The question that came to my mind is — how do we capitalize on what feels like a re-set to plan for the cities we really want, rather than trying to build on top of decades of outdated policies, plans and inequities?
What does transportation happiness mean to you?
Transportation happiness to me means that it will mean something different for every single person. While we all care about a basic transportation experience that is reliable, safe and timely, we have to plan for the comfort and well-being of all types of passengers, including children, the elderly, women with strollers, the disabled, etc.
Finally, and maybe most importantly, what is your favorite cat/animal meme?
I’d normally go for something sassier, but I’m in a good mood today.
Just like a cat would say, Camron.
