Urban Tech Summit 2026 Program Overview
Tuesday, November 10, 2026
Verizon Executive Education Center | Cornell Tech
WELCOME
Welcome Remarks
PANEL
How Physical AI and World Models Will Transform Urban Tech
As the frontier in generative AI shifts from models that understand language and images to ones that can sense and analyze the physical world, what are the opportunities for urban innovation and what are the risks? What do cities need from AI and what future applications matter for cities?
LIGHTNING TALK
PANEL
Digital Transformation for the Public Right of Way
Taxibot fleets, congestion pricing, a surge in delivery vehicles, and growing pressure to protect pedestrians and cyclists are converging on one problem: the public right of way is being asked to do more than ever. This panel explores how AI is enabling cities to monitor, allocate, and even monetize curb and street space to meet the moment.
LIGHTNING TALK
PANEL
Building Future Urban Tech Ecosystems
A decade after NYCEDC named urban tech a high-growth opportunity for New York City and six years since the launch of the Urban Tech Hub, what’s working, what isn’t, and what comes next? This panel takes stock of the urban tech ecosystem, compares notes with peer cities that have built their own, and asks how AI changes what New York should do differently.
KEYNOTE
The Civic Research Agenda: A Roadmap for Universities and Local Government
What do local governments actually need from research on housing, climate, and service delivery? And, in light of recent challenges in academia, what would it take to rebuild the pipeline between campuses and city halls? This session explores findings from the first comprehensive survey of the priority research needs of American cities and counties.
MORNING WORKSHOPS
FIRESIDE CHAT
AI and the Urban Grid
Recent developments in AI present both challenges and opportunities as cities across New York State consider their energy future. How can AI tools help to improve grid planning and optimization? How can data centers and other large electric loads be integrated into urban areas in a grid-friendly way? This session will explore the connections between city-level energy needs and broader transmission and distribution challenges, and the role innovation can play in driving new solutions.
LIGHTNING TALK
FIRESIDE CHAT
Chain Drain: Why the Built Environment Struggles to Learn and How to Fix It
Why can’t the built environment deliver the housing, infrastructure, and climate resilience cities need? This session unpacks a recent study of “chain drain,” the leakage of value and intelligence that explains 50 years of flat productivity.
PANEL
The Agentic City: New Partnerships for Operations
Behind every well-running city is a complex orchestration of government agencies, private contractors, urban data, and aging public assets. As AI agents revolutionize enterprise management and expand our capacity to plan ahead, what are the opportunities for restructuring and improving government operations? This session explores how cities are partnering with technology companies, peer governments, and research institutions to leverage the power of AI while keeping accountability and human judgment firmly in the loop.
KEYNOTE
Laying the Foundations for Agentic AI: How Boston Did It
AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS
INTERACTIVE SESSION
Towards Transparent and Legible Urban AI
Trust is the prerequisite for urban innovation, but AI’s growing role in the public sector and public realm decisions is outpacing cities’ oversight capabilities. This session explores how civic technologists, government agencies, and residents can partner to set the rules and build the legitimacy AI needs to earn public trust.
FINAL SHOWCASE
Urban Innovation Fellows Spotlight
Meet the inaugural cohort of the Urban Innovation Fellows as they share lessons from the last two years tackling urban tech innovation challenges on the front lines in seven New York City government agencies.
CLOSING RECEPTION