New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and the New Lab technology centre have launched the 2020 edition of the Circular City programme to test and pilot technology that addresses the complex and urgent problems facing cities.
 
New Lab and NYCEDC partnered to create the Urban Tech Hub in 2017 and the Circular City represents a key part of the vision to make New York a leader in urban innovation.
 
This year, the focus is on New York’s transition to a circular economy and the future of energy efficiency in the built environment. The call to action for start-ups is to apply for the opportunity to pilot their products or technologies in real urban environments to help New York work towards a more sustainable, equitable and accessible future.
 
“Innovation and the growing tech sector are key not only to New York City’s economy, but also to our efforts to stop climate change and safeguard the environment,” said NYCEDC president and CEO James Patchett. “The Circular City programme shows what can happen when the private and public sector team up with civic groups and academic experts to tackle the biggest challenges facing New York City. We are excited to see how the new solutions emerging from the 2020 Circular City programme can benefit all New Yorkers.”
 
Interested start-ups with a relevant technology or product are encouraged to apply through the open call on New Lab’s web site. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis with input from the 2020 programme collaborators, including returning partner Downtown Brooklyn Partnership and the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, as well as new partners, Governors Island and the Flatbush Junction Bid, which will serve as potential sites for this year’s technology deployments.
 
“Flatbush Junction Bid is excited to be part of the Circular City programme to support Brooklyn’s core asset, its diverse community, by promoting a more sustainable and healthy future for New York City,” said Kenneth Mbonu, executive director of the Flatbush Junction Bid. “We believe this programme will help create equitable and inclusive communities, creating shared benefits for the residents of Brooklyn.”
 
The 2020 edition of Circular City will focus on advancing New York’s sustainability vision through technology, supporting the transition to a circular economy, a closed-loop system in which waste or pollution is eliminated and resources are kept in circulation through reuse, regeneration and recycling, and improving the energy efficiency of buildings, the city’s leading source of greenhouse gas emissions. Participants will also contribute to the development of an urban data collaborative that facilitates the public-private exchange of data for the public good.
 
“New Lab’s unique model for bringing together frontier tech start-ups, local government stakeholders, academic institutions and private sector investors is a powerful platform for addressing critical real-world urban challenges,” said New Lab CEO Shaun Stewart. “The 2020 edition of Circular City will build on the success of our initial programme, exploring new solutions for meeting New York City’s broader sustainability goals.”
 
Academic researchers, policy experts and city stakeholders aim to leverage the collaborative to put into practice the concepts of urban data exchange developed in the first edition of the programme.
 
“This public-private collaboration promises to harness the innovation of local start-ups that develop ground-breaking new methods for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, reusing more products and materials, eliminating waste, and building a more sustainable economy,” said US Representative Nydia Velؘؘázquez. “Projects like these can help position New York as an environmental leader. I applaud NYCEDC and its partners for this initiative and look forward to its results.”
 
Since launching in May 2018, the Circular City programme has served as a platform to study how deploying and scaling emerging technologies can address the complex challenges of modern urban life. In the first edition, the programme partners came together to focus on mobility, economic development and resilience issues in downtown Brooklyn.
 
“The 2020 Circular City program will offer a venue for public and private partners to collaborate on critical solutions that will reduce urban pollution and promote environmental sustainability for generations to come,” said council member Paul Vallone, chair of the Economic Development Committee. “I encourage our local start-ups to apply for this opportunity and be a part of creating a sustainable and equitable future for New York City.”
 
New Lab-based start-ups Numina, Carmera and Citiesense launched on-the-ground pilots to collect and analyse neighbourhood-level data and insights. Research teams from Columbia University, NYU’s GovLab and Cornell Tech worked alongside the start-ups, city stakeholders and corporate partner Citi Ventures to produce the Circular City Research Journal.
 
“Downtown Brooklyn is committed to a more sustainable New York City, and we are excited to return as a partner for the second year of Circular City,” said Regina Myer, president of the Downtown Brooklyn partnership. “The Circular City programme offers us a unique opportunity to both support and benefit from cutting-edge, data-driven solutions to challenges facing Downtown Brooklyn. We look forward to seeing how the programme will help us improve the quality of life for Downtown Brooklyn residents, businesses and visitors.”
 
NYCEDC works with and for communities to provide them with the resources they need to thrive, and it invests in projects that increase sustainability, support job growth, develop talent and spark innovation to strengthen the city.
 
New Lab’s flagship location in the Brooklyn Navy Yard dates back to 1902 and served as the primary machine shop for every major ship launched during World Wars I and II. Inspired by the building’s rich history of innovation, the New Lab co-founders envisioned a way to return the building to relevance, launching New Lab in 2016 to champion entrepreneurship and innovation.
 
“The Navy Yard’s 300 acres, more than 70 buildings, and street and transportation network function as a city within a city where urban innovators can test new ideas in a collaborative community among a diverse range of companies,” said David Ehrenberg, president and CEO of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation. “The Circular City programme advances our mission by bringing new partners together to explore and develop ground-breaking concepts to solve real-world problems at the Yard.”
 
New Lab’s ecosystem includes more than 150 member companies, partnerships with forward-thinking corporate and civic entities, investors and the support of domain experts, all working together to scale frontier technologies. To date, New Lab has supported its member companies achieving more than $400m of successful exits, and a collective valuation of over $3bn.