Four Cities to Explore the Frontiers of Infrastructure Finance

City Accelerator recently announced its third cohort, focusing on innovative infrastructure finance programs. Pittsburgh, Saint Paul, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. survived a selection process that began with a December 2015 invitation from the Citi Foundation and Living Cities to 40 of the nation's largest cities.

The winning cities now have an opportunity to explore a new set of financing options to help address the funding gaps for high priority capital projects—everything from "seawalls to stairs, streetlights to stormwater," according to a post by Steven Bosacker and Kristen Scheyder announcing the winners.

According to the post, "[w]e chose the four cities because they correlate their success on closing budget gaps in their capital plans to expanded physical and economic mobility, reactivated land for affordable housing and jobs, and increased public safety. In short, they want to make their cities a better place for all residents."

The post includes a quick summary of each of the winning proposals, each focusing on infrastructure needs that will be familiar to many other cities around the country. 

Last year's cohort focused on innovative practices in community engagement.