Meet the Smart Cities Summit speakers, Part 3: Natalia Quintero, Director of City of New York Transit Tech Lab

Smart Cities Summit is the go-to event for the government and technology decision-makers creating America’s future smart cities.

In the lead-up to the October 31- November 1 conference in Atlanta, American City and County has the exclusive opportunity to discuss leading projects that will be highlighted by key speakers. This is the opportunity to preview what they will be championing at the conference this year.

Through use cases, partnership case studies and panels, Smart Cities Summit will address how new innovations are transforming infrastructure, public private partnerships, procurement, transportation and many other verticals within the smart cities space. This year there will be a greater focus on bringing connectivity to the heart of smart cities, an area where local authorities can save costs of future pilot projects long term and add real value for citizens.

The third speaker in this 3-part series is Natalia Quintero, Director at City of New York Transit Tech Lab.

Tell us about your role.

As director of the Transit Tech Lab, an accelerator program for start-ups solving public transportation challenges, I foster collaboration between mobility innovators and leaders at the MTA. Our goal is to help shape the future of transit in New York City.

Can you explain a little further about the formation of Transit Tech Lab as part of the City of New York?

The Transit Tech Lab is part of a public-private partnership between the Transit Innovation Partnership, which was launched by the Partnership for New York City, and the MTA. The partnership was formed in response to the crisis faced by the New York City transit system in 2017. Through this collaboration, New York’s business community is able to work with the MTA to ensure that our city becomes the global leader in public transportation. Nothing is more important to New York’s economic well-being.

What has been the most important lesson you have taken from this project?

It’s critical to have a unified vision of the future when it comes to public transportation. We are lucky to have political and operational alignment at the head of the MTA and New York State. Having a unified vision and goal allows thousands of people work productively in the same direction.

What advice would you give to the cities just starting out on their smart city journey?

The challenge in implementing innovative technology is not technical, it’s human. It’s imperative that city officials build trust across agencies and among relevant stakeholders. Without this, the rest is nearly impossible.

Why are conferences like Smart Cities Summit so important?

Collaboration is the essence of both the Transit Tech Lab and conferences like Smart Cities. The opportunity to hear and learn from other cities and leaders is valuable and provides the inspiration for future breakthroughs. We look forward to sharing ideas with our peers in Atlanta and learning from their efforts.

To read Part 1 of the Meet the Smart Cities Summit speakers, Jan Bradley, Director and Chief Information Technology Officer at the City of Calgary., click here.

To read Part 2 of the Meet the Smart Cities Summit speakers, Joshua Edmonds, Detroit’s Director of Digital Inclusion, click here.