When we think about the future of our cities, it is not just about the buildings that fill the skyline. It is about how people move, how communities connect, and how urban spaces adapt to a changing world. Recognizing the need for this big-picture thinking, the global design firm CannonDesign has officially welcomed Cityfi into its consulting practice.
Cityfi is a highly respected innovation firm focused on the future of civic life and urban mobility. By bringing these two powerhouses together, the partnership promises to shape smarter, stronger, and more resilient communities.
A Bold Approach to Urban Challenges
Cityfi is not a traditional consulting firm. Made up of strategists, policy experts, and designers, the team excels at helping both public and private organizations navigate complex changes. When the old rulebook no longer works, Cityfi helps cities adapt.
Their work tackles some of the most pressing issues of our time, including:
Integrating advanced technologies into city life.
Developing inclusive and sustainable transportation.
Adapting to climate change and shifting funding needs.
Reimagining public spaces so they work for everyone.
Juliet Rogers, Chief Strategy Officer at CannonDesign, describes Cityfi as a "bold, gutsy company"willing to take on challenges others might avoid. By joining CannonDesign, Cityfi will help push innovative, big-picture thinking to the very beginning of the design process.
Knocking Down Silos
Whether it is a bustling city, a massive health system, or a growing university campus, many organizations face the same challenges. By teaming up, CannonDesign and Cityfi can look at these challenges holistically.
“CannonDesign is a force multiplier,” says Karina Ricks, a Partner at Cityfi. She notes that by combining Cityfi’s multidimensional strategies with CannonDesign’s exceptional talent in design, analysis, and community health, the combined team can deliver truly measurable results for their clients.
Story Bellows, another Cityfi Partner, echoes this excitement, emphasizing that their core mission remains unchanged: to create accessible, equitable, and resilient communities that genuinely improve people’s lives.
Proven Real-World Impact
Both organizations bring incredible portfolios to the table. Cityfi operates across the US and Europe, advising major tech and mobility innovators like Waymo and Verizon, alongside city leaders in New York, Los Angeles, Copenhagen, and beyond.
This deep expertise perfectly complements CannonDesign’s own impactful civic work, which includes:
The Carnegie Branch Renovations for the New York Public Libraries.
An equitable aquatics ecosystem in Baltimore.
The Seattle Ferry Terminal Building.
201 Ellicott, an affordable housing complex in Buffalo featuring the city's first mobility hub.
A Vision for the Future
Cityfi will keep its name and continue to operate as usual, while seamlessly integrating into CannonDesign’s broader consulting team.
This partnership is just the latest in a series of strategic moves by CannonDesign. Driven to solve challenges across the entire built environment, the firm has been rapidly growing. In recent months, they have added some top-tier firms to their roster—including Ennead Architects, Scion Advisory Services, and experts in smart-building consulting—proving that they are building a uniquely powerful team for the future.
As cities become more complex, the combination of brilliant strategy and beautiful, functional design has never been more important. With Cityfi now on board, CannonDesign is more ready than ever to build the cities of tomorrow.
CannonDesign is a global, employee-owned design firm with 20 offices and an integrated community of practices united by a shared commitment to Living-Centred Design. In the last 15 years, the firm has received more than 600 awards for design excellence.
Alongside its leadership in architecture, engineering, and interior design, the firm’s community includes smart building consultancy The Clarient Group, architectural experimentation laboratory Yazdani Studio, building transition and activation firm Yellow Brick, facility optimization firm FOS, and experience, operations, and strategy consulting firm Blue Cottage. This breadth of expertise fuels a more dynamic and expansive way of practicing design and is one of the reasons it’s been recognized by Fast Company, Fortune, TIME, and others as one of the most innovative and influential companies of our time.
