Tag Archives: resources

What is Normal in a New Year?

By Joshua Cantor, CAPP

I’ve finally accepted that 2022 is underway, not because I have some aversion to a new year or saying Happy New Year, but because I know that there is serious work to get done. Every year seems to bring new goals, challenges, and aspirations, but most of us have had to reset so many times over the past two years since COVID-19 started that it’s tough to know what “normal” is and what we should be planning for. We keep hearing that there is a “new normal” but what does that really mean? Is it a short-term assessment with the hope that everything will magically return to pre-COVID or has society permanently been altered?

In parking and transportation, our industry was already headed toward an emphasis on technology-based solutions, and that seemingly has only been accelerated. However, with many parking and transit agencies still facing revenue reductions and having to make budget cuts, they are being forced to take a hard look at what services are still essential versus what is just something nice to provide. What bus routes remain a core need to operate even as ridership has dropped? What staffing levels are needed in garage operations and in enforcement? Is there a customer service level that you can’t fall below even when faced with reduced staffing or can changes in operations be sufficient to meet the needs of a changing customer base? Reverting to what was “normal” before 2020 does not seem to be in the cards for us.

These are all the kinds of questions we find ourselves asking as we head into the great unknowns of 2022. Whatever the answers are, there is no doubt that “normal” is a temporary state of mind.

Whatever this temporary or perhaps altered state of mind is, IPMI has some great resources for all of us in the industry to stay abreast of what is happening. Forum’s online community, the educational webinars, the monthly magazine and e-newsletters, and annual conference are all opportunities to share the changes in our jurisdiction and learn from what others are doing. Not feeling like we are on an island with the resources of the IPMI community has been so wonderful as we navigate the new normal. It’s more important than ever to keep taking advantage of it in preparing for what is thrown our way next.

Joshua Cantor, CAPP, is director of parking and transportation at George Mason University and a member of IPMI’s Board of Directors.

IPMI News: City Tech Launches New Resources to Understand Community Impact of COVID-19

By City Tech Collaborative

June 1, 2020

Chicago Health Atlas Combines New Data from HERE Technologies With 160+ Neighborhood-Level Datasets to Unlock New COVID-19 Insights

CHICAGO – City Tech Collaborative has launched a new resource webpage on the Chicago Health Atlas to help community partners, health care providers, researchers, and the general public understand COVID-19’s impact on local neighborhoods and find related resources. Building on the Chicago Health Atlas’ existing resources, the new COVID-19 page includes links to the latest COVID-19 data and testing locations, data on underlying conditions tied to the virus, and a map of essential businesses by zip code using HERE Technologies data. Visit the page at www.ChicagoHealthAtlas.org.

The Chicago Health Atlas is a health data resource including information on Chicago’s 77 community areas and over 160 health and demographic indicators including healthcare services, safety, income, and illness and death rates. The Atlas equips communities with open data and street-level resource maps that can be compared over time and across communities to drive future actions. Data on the Chicago Health Atlas is provided by over 30 sources including the Chicago Department of Public Health, MAPSCorps, and the Sinai Urban Health Institute.

Health organizations are racing to understand how health and wellness factors impact the spread and severity of COVID-19. With black Chicagoans dying from the coronavirus at a rate nearly six times greater than white residents, more data and research are needed to fully understand the pandemic and disparities that exacerbate health inequality. Open data from the Chicago Health Atlas serves as a resource to access and understand data that can be linked to COVID-19 trends and outcomes.

“The COVID-19 crisis highlights the need for data transparency and informed action,” said Dr. Wayne Giles, Chicago Health Atlas Advisory Member and Dean of the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago. “Open data platforms like the Chicago Health Atlas put information directly in the hands of residents, healthcare providers, policymakers, and community organizations that can assess what’s happening and deliver local support where it’s needed most.”

The addition of HERE Technologies’ data expands the Chicago Health Atlas’ resources by 62,000 data points. Arranged by zip code, the map view shows the location and contact information for essential businesses operating during the COVID-19 pandemic, including banks, ATMs, grocery stores, food pantries, transportation options, and healthcare and government services. The COVID-19 page also links to the Atlas’ data on underlying conditions, the open application programming interface (API), COVID-19 funding resources and testing sites, and the latest COVID-19 data from the City of Chicago.

“Location data provides important context and benefit during public health emergencies,” said Adrian Novik, Senior Director of Global Content Product Management and Innovation at HERE Technologies. “We’re proud to contribute to the Health Atlas’ existing resources page localized data and information for the community to better understand what is accessible during this challenging time.”

Screenshot from the Chicago Health Atlas shows the new resource map resources for zip code 60601 that incorporates HERE Technologies’ data.

Data from the Chicago Health Atlas can help identify urgent, unmet needs in underserved communities.  In a COVID-19 Virtual Town Hall in April 2020, the Chicago Racial Equity Rapid Response Team used the Atlas’ open data to show how the South Shore community experiences higher rates of diabetes, hypertension, and asthma compared to the rest of the City. For example, 32% of South Shore residents have limited food access compared to 8.5% of Chicago residents overall. Groups such as the Racial Equity Rapid Response Team are responding to the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on African American communities and correlating underlying conditions and COVID-19 risks. City Tech offers training to organizations to utilize Chicago Health Atlas data in conjunction with their own work to inform additional research and programming responses.

The new COVID-19 data resources are part of City Tech’s broader response to the pandemic, including partner training on data visualization and analysis. City Tech’s Partnership Innovation Fund also provides direct funding to help Health Atlas partners prepare and add new datasets to the platform. The Chicago Health Atlas is part of City Tech’s Healthy Cities Initiative, which addresses physical, socioeconomic, and technological barriers to strong and vibrant communities. City Tech is also pursuing COVID-19 related work and collaborative solution development in advanced mobility, parking innovation, freight and logistics, and urban infrastructure. These solutions are helping address current issues while also positioning cities and partners to “bounce forward” in the wake of coronavirus and be better prepared for emerging needs and future crises.

To explore the Chicago Health Atlas and access the latest data, visit www.ChicagoHealthAtlas.org.

For more information about City Tech Collaborative, training on using the Chicago Health Atlas for your organization, or to add your own data to the resource, contact City Tech at Collaborate@CityTech.org.

Click here to download the press release (PDF).


About City Tech Collaborative (City Tech): City Tech is an urban solutions accelerator that tackles problems too big for any single sector or organization to solve alone. City Tech’s work uses IoT sensing networks, advanced analytics, and urban design to create scalable, market ready solutions. Current initiatives address advanced mobility, healthy cities, connected construction, and emerging growth opportunities. City Tech was born and raised in Chicago, and every city is a potential partner. Visit www.CityTech.org and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About the Chicago Health Atlas: The Chicago Health Atlas is a community health data resource that residents, community organizations, and public health stakeholders can easily search, analyze, and download neighborhood-level health data for the City of Chicago. A City Tech solution, the Chicago Health Atlas was initially developed in 2012 by the Smart Chicago Collaborative and the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) with funding from the Otho S.A. Sprague Memorial Institute. Explore the Chicago Health Atlas by visiting www.ChicagoHealthAtlas.org.

About HERE Technologies: HERE, a location data and technology platform, moves people, businesses and cities forward by harnessing the power of location. By leveraging our open platform, we empower our customers to achieve better outcomes – from helping a city manage its infrastructure or a business optimize its assets to guiding drivers to their destination safely. To learn more about HERE, please visit www.here.com and http://360.here.com.

COVID-19 Information Clearinghouse: Resources and Documents

Read all the COVID-19 Information Resource and Document postings here.

To search all resources by keyword, search the Resource Library.

Submit Postings Here

 

 

IPMI News: Message from the IPMI CEO & Chair – Stay Connected

We know you and your staff are facing huge challenges and many have already faced the reality of reducing your workforces as well. You are not alone. We want you to know we are here with you and will offer steadfast support during these unprecedented times.

IPMI is wholly committed to helping you stay connected with your fellow industry professionals so you can continue to share challenges, find solutions, and tap into a wealth of resources that is the hallmark of IPMI. We are continuing to build additional online resources daily and invite you to share this message with every member of your staff and industry colleagues.

This is not “business as usual” and we stand committed to support you now and into the future—when our country, our industry, and our organizations make a sure recovery from this crisis.

Ways to Stay Connected

 

For more details on the programs listed below and additional resources, visit and bookmark parking-mobility/stayconnected

  • Parking & Mobility magazine is going fully digital to ensure the fastest, most reliable delivery to you and your staff members wherever you are. Receive it free to your office or home email, or both. Click here to request a digital subscription.
  • Forum, IPMI’s online community, is the place your peers are connecting, asking and answering questions, and sharing their experiences with colleagues. If you are not receiving its daily digest email, please let us know; also reach out if we can help you with logging in or an orientation to the site.
  • On March 31, we are hosting additional free, industry-specific Shoptalks related to the COVID-19 crisis.  You determine the topics and conversation by sharing issues important to you and participating live. Recordings are posted for those who cannot attend the live events, and we will continue to convene our community this way regularly to keep in touch.
  • IPMI has opened up a series of free on-demand courses and webinars to our members to create and maintain professional development opportunities for your entire team at no charge.
  • For individuals facing job transition, IPMI has waived membership fees, and created the IPMI Resume Exchange on Forum for professionals interested in posting resumes and making connections with potential employers. Members update their online profiles with direct imports from LinkedIn. Our Career Center provides members with position listings free of charge, which are shared on Forum and social media.

Helping industry professionals stay connected has been in IPMI’s DNA for nearly 60 years. Our community will continue to come together, and our industry will recover. You have our commitment to being there for you.

Have ideas on how we can help you right now? Please email me at conrad@parking-mobility.org

 We are here for you. Let’s all stay connected. 

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Shawn D. Conrad, CAE

Chief Executive Officer

International Parking & Mobility Institute

 

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David G. Onorato, CAPP

Chair, IPMI Board of Directors

Pittsburgh Parking Authority

Leading Mobility

By Bridgette Brady, CAPP

MOBILITY HAS ALWAYS BEEN a part of our lives. Howev­er, the recent and swift evolution of interconnectivity, mobility-as-a-service, curb management, and so many other holistic approaches to transforming the facilita­tion of movement means the industry needs to pause and understand its foundation. As with any paradigm shift, understanding what we know now—the foundation of existing ­conditions—is critical.

At its core, mobility is about people, not a marketplace for mobility goods. Of course, the market provides the options in which to serve various mobility needs, but it is paramount we remember the human element belongs at the beginning of the process as we visualize mobility impacts.

Mobility Leaders

If mobility is about people, it is also about the need for strong, adaptable leaders at every level. In a recent constructive and in-depth conversation with a cus­tomer base group, I was enlightened by a comment. A very astute individual with a distinctly different background in infor­mation science remarked that it appeared that our jobs as leaders in the mobility space isn’t as much about vehicles or the reductions thereof, but rather about change management.

What does the leader of mobility change look like to both internal and ex­ternal customers? How does this leader help the foundation of mobility—people—maneuver the swiftly evolving changes of opportunities and challenges in their needs to get where they want or need to be? Here are a few ideas:

  • Use data-driven processes to quantify the benefits and opportunities that will occur with the implementation of new mobility initiatives.
  • Use case studies as examples to identi­fy the intended outcomes and change associated with new mobility invest­ments, identifying relatable real-world examples.
  • Use open and continuous communi­cation to support change by helping people along at their pace, which will help them adapt more naturally.

 

Leading Change

Change-capable leadership requires the ability to influence and enthuse, in addi­tion to the ability to make knowledge­able, data-based, and strategic decisions. It isn’t surprising that communication is at the top of the list of essentials to be­ing a successful leader of change. A few opportunities for communication in the change-management realm:

  • Internal program workshops to discuss the intentions of changing mobility and how to educate customers and end users.
  • Community-driven outreach focused at educating users how mobility deci­sions can improve commute, access, and movement.
  • On-the-ground conversations aimed at promoting use of alternate mobil­ity options and enabling better daily decision-making.

What is different from strictly strate­gic leadership is not only explaining the “what” but also explaining the “why.” Collaboration in many forms is necessary, most importantly with engaging employ­ees early in the decision-making process. Change-capable leaders will need the courage to commit to the “why” and perhaps stretch outside of their comfort zones.

Getting There

IPMI has a wonderful start on developing leaders in the industry with its Leader­ship Summit and various trainings aimed at developing the leaders of tomorrow’s parking and mobility industry. The as­sociation has also been arming leaders with knowledge and resources from the formation of the organization. A few examples of IPMI’s industry-leading resources include:

  • “A Guide to Parking,” the first textbook for the parking and transportation industry, which provides the foundation for greater mobility research (parking-mobility.org/textbook).
  • Cutting-edge education on trends and tech that are trans­forming and disrupting the industry, including specific resources and best practices shaping curb management (­parking-mobility.org/education).
  • Unique partnerships designed to expand and grow our shared knowledge and expertise, such as our relationships with the Alliance for Parking Data Standards, the U.S. Green Building Council, the Transportation Research Board, and multiple uni­versity relationships, to foster new research.

 

Resources

After much conversation with IPMI’s strategic partners about preparing for the future, it’s clear that a resounding understand­ing that reliance on research and reputable resources must be a foundation to advance the profession. As industry leaders in parking, transportation, and mobility, it’s incumbent upon us to help drive change in a meaningful way, using our understand­ing of parking and mobility to help our customers, employees, and colleagues make decisions that improve their lives and the environment around them. As change leaders, we should be prepared to:

  1. Lead by example, making decisions related to the intersection between parking and mobility that influence a better tomor­row and promote a more balanced transportation system.
  2. Focus on the people who are influenced by mobility decisions and help them understand the importance of change and the positive benefits of their decisions.
  3. Use data and real information to define change and influence decision-making.
  4. Create strong and open communication plans to help educate our constituents and promote change.
  5. Lean on IPMI to help develop supportive research and metrics to drive change and support industry growth.

 

Read the article here.

BRIDGETTE BRADY, CAPP, is senior director of transportation and delivery services at Cornell University and co-chair of the IPMI Research Committee. She can be reached at bb635@cornell.edu.