6:00 p.m.: Registration
6:30 p.m.: Program

More than ever, cities are charged with carrying out national-level policies and are expected to be at the forefront of our response to climate change, housing inequality, job creation and public health. At the same time, most city government agencies are perennially understaffed and impeded by cumbersome, often backward regulations that leave them at odds with the private sector. Seemingly insurmountable frustrations are everywhere. So the big question is: Can meaningful changes be made in spite of these realities? Gabe Klein argues in his book, “Start-Up City,” that the answer is yes.

Klein formerly led the Chicago Department of Transportation under Mayor Rahm Emanuel and was director of the District Department of Transportation under Mayor Adrian Fenty in Washington, D.C. He launched Capital Bikeshare in Washington, the first large-scale bike-share system in the U.S. In Chicago he later launched Divvy, which is now the largest bike-share system in the U.S.

Before entering government, Klein honed his creativity and leadership skills working for startups, including Zipcar, where he served as vice president for four years. He also wrote a business model for the first point-to-point car-sharing concept. Klein sits on the boards of the National Association of City Transportation Officials and Streetsblog.