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Strategic Advisor, Global Engagement and Development
Mr. Bocanegra currently serves as Chief Future Officer and Founder at The Urban Futurist Inc, a consultancy and advisory organization that is shaping the cities of the future. Alby spends his time studying future technologies and makes predictions of the impact and implications they’ll have on cities, the people that live in them and the ecosystems that will need to be developed to ensure that all can benefit. As an advisor and consultant, he shapes strategies, governance models and facilitates engagements focused on delivering a better tomorrow for people. Alby also lends his expertise as an Advisory Board Member on Digital Twins to the World Economic Forum.
Prior to founding TUF Inc, he was Vice President of Urban Technology and Global City Partnerships at Mastercard. In his role, Alby led Mastercard’s partnerships with local governments, industry, academia, development banks, NGO’s and civil society. Under his leadership, he scaled the City Possible framework from a small network of 25 cities to a global ecosystem comprising of over 335 cities as well as over 50 industry, academic, and civil society partners across 6 continents. His also led the creation of the 24-Hour Cities Network, made up of over 100 government officials, academics and advocates focused on the night-time governance, which included the facilitation dozens of in person and virtual convenings that led to published summaries and strategies that help cities build programming and governance models to activate their night-time economy.
Alby spent three years with the Mayor’s Office in the City of New York, with the majority of it serving as Interim Chief Technology Officer. It was there that he co-founded the Cities Coalition for Digital Rights with the cities of Amsterdam and Barcelona as well as the United Nations, which now boasts over 50 global cities and growing. He also oversaw the delivery of multiple innovative programs; including the expansion of community-driven initiatives with academia and industry partners, led ambitious, exploratory, and ground-breaking projects to tackle urbanization, and the roll out of universal broadband creating greater equity, digital literacy, privacy and security for all New Yorkers.
He began his civil service career with the City and County of San Francisco’s Department of Technology, where he designed a tech talent program focused on attracting expertise from industry, which in turn generated capacity across the city to adopt a user-driven approach to the delivery of government services.
Prior to working in local government, he spent 10 years in academia, fostering new partnerships with cities, native tribes and governments, with his final stint at the University of Southern California where he focused on talent growth Diversity Equity & inclusion. He also served on LA Mayor Garcetti’s Veteran employment committee.
Alby proudly lives his life in service to others, starting with his career in the US Military in 1997.
I recently gave ten one-hour lectures at the University of Zambia (UNZA) in bountiful summer-ripe Lusaka. The lecture series was planned in collaboration with the Center for Urban Planning and
In today’s episode of Charter Cities, we’re honored to welcome Lant Pritchett, a distinguished economist and a thought leader in development economics. Our deep-dive conversation will focus on the critical topic of growth diagnostics, exploring the complex challenges policymakers face in developing nations. Lant will illuminate the importance of identifying impactful actions for growth, emphasizing the need for rigorous debate and evidence-based decision-making. We’ll also scrutinize the limitations of traditional development metrics like the “dollar a day” measure and consider alternative, more effective approaches. We’ll also investigate innovative solutions like charter cities as a mechanism for fostering sustainable growth by addressing institutional challenges.
On today’s Charter Cities podcast episode, host Jeffrey Mason is joined by colleagues Heba Elhanafy and Matthew McCartney to unpack the New Africa’s Bad Urban Laws project. This initiative dissects laws in African cities hindering growth and community well-being. Additionally, Jeffrey reminds listeners of the upcoming Africa’s New City Summit in Kigali, Rwanda. The team dives deep, discussing the reasons for and effects of detrimental urban laws, using instances like Zambia’s land ownership as an example. Tune in for an insightful discussion on urban policies in Africa.
CCI is excited to announce a series of two webinars as part of our efforts to contribute to the global conversation on the challenges and opportunities presented by rapid urbanization
Urban infrastructure in major cities is inadequate to support pedestrian mobility. In Zambia, for example, the majority of citizens rely on walking for their daily travel, but unfortunately, sidewalks are often inaccessible or non-existent, and urban expansion makes travel time longer. To help address this issue, CCI, in collaboration with key stakeholders, conducted a participatory research project called ‘Walking the Un-walkable’. The project aimed to map and address walkability in Lusaka, identifying the challenges pedestrians face while walking and highlighting opportunities for improvement. The findings and recommendations were mapped using methods including participatory policy-making, transect walking/mapping, co-design, and validation workshops. This report outlines the findings identified in the walks and the verification workshop conducted with key stakeholders. With cities like Lusaka continuing to grow rapidly, it is crucial to understand how infrastructure and urban form can effectively meet the needs of urban residents.
Coming up on today’s episode of Charter Cities, we have a very special guest joining host Mark Lutter: Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum. In this episode, we delve into the fascinating world of community building and the importance of creating meaningful connections within cities and online communities. We explore the challenges and successes of building communities in different contexts, from crypto communities to health tribes. With insights from Vitalik’s own experiences and observations, we discuss the value of diversity, the impact of infrastructure on small towns, and the need for community filters. Stay tuned for an enriching conversation on the power of communities in shaping our lives and the future of cities.
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