CannonDesign is honored to share that Cityfi, a strategy and innovation firm focused on the future of cities, mobility, and civic life, has officially joined its consulting practice.

A highly regarded team of strategists, entrepreneurs, designers, and policy experts, Cityfi partners with public, private, and nonprofit organizations to shape stronger and more resilient cities. They are distinct in their ability to guide clients from strategy and planning all the way through the complexities of policy, funding, and implementation.

 
“Cityfi is a bold, gutsy company, willing to take on challenges and explore possibilities that others avoid," said Juliet Rogers, Ph.D., MPH, Chief Strategy Officer of CannonDesign and President of Blue Cottage of CannonDesign. "They fit perfectly in our consulting group at CannonDesign and will help us push innovative systems thinking upstream.”

Cityfi excels at helping public and private organizations navigate complex change to make credible, durable decisions in moments where the old playbook no longer applies. They are actively helping cities prepare for a future of advanced technologies, inclusive mobility, shifted governance structures, climate change, funding imperatives, reimagined public spaces, and the social infrastructure that makes urban life work for everyone.

“Whether you are a city, a health system, or any growing business, we all face similar challenges,” added Juliet. “Together, our team can think more holistically about how cities, buildings, campuses, and ecosystems connect and evolve in the future. This is how we knock down silos in the pursuit of stronger multi-dimensional solutions that improve society.”

Cityfi’s unique expertise also deepens the value CannonDesign brings to its existing clients as health organizations, colleges and universities, commercial clients, research teams and other organizations increasingly operate at the intersection of civic life, the built environment, and transportation mobility.

“From the beginning of our journey, Cityfi has been resolute in our mission to create accessible, equitable, and resilient cities and communities that improve people’s lives,” explained Story Bellows, Cityfi Partner.

“CannonDesign is a force multiplier,” adds Cityfi Partner, Karina Ricks. “Our work has always been multidimensional. With CannonDesign we can deliver more with the exceptional talent in analysis, digital tools, design, and holistic community health to help clients achieve meaningful, measurable outcomes.”

Cityfi, with teammates in both the US and Europe, has advised pioneering companies like Waymo, Automotus, Verizon, itselectric, and more to develop durable public partnerships. They have also advised public leaders in New York City, Copenhagen, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, and the Salt Lake City Public Library, while partnering with nonprofits including the Baltic Mobility Collaborative, NACTO, the Open Mobility Foundation, and the Knight Foundation to advance national dialogues and positive action agendas. A deeper portfolio of Cityfi’s work and capabilities can be found on their website.

This diverse experience also complements CannonDesign’s vibrant community and civic work that includes projects like the New York Public Libraries Carnegie Branch Renovations, an equitable aquatics ecosystem in Baltimore, the Seattle Ferry Terminal Building, and 201 Ellicott, an affordable housing complex featuring the City of Buffalo’s first mobility hub.

Cityfi will continue to operate under its current name while integrating into CannonDesign’s larger consulting practice, working in close partnership within the company's diverse regions, markets, services, and design teams.

This news is the latest in a series of strategic moves advancing CannonDesign’s evolution as a design firm capable of helping clients solve challenges of nearly any type across the built environment and beyond. Just two weeks earlier, CannonDesign announced that Ennead Architects would join its growing firm. Other recent acquisitions include Scion Advisory Services, a premier education and student life consultancy; Jenkins•Peer Architects, a Charlotte-based design firm; Christner Architects, a St. Louis-based design firm; Yellow Brick Consulting, a leader in healthcare transition and activation; and The Clarient Group, experts in smart-building consulting.