Clark Construction Participates in First Annual DMV Smart City Challenge

This January, Clark Construction participated in the first annual Smart City Challenge, a hackathon-style competition aimed to source innovative solutions for more sustainable cities in the Washington, DC area. The month-long event invited wide-ranging participants to form teams and create high-impact ideas that address the challenges of unprecedented urbanization in the region. 

As part of the Smart City Challenge, participants had the opportunity to connect with professionals and mentors working in a variety of fields integral to the development of smart and sustainable cities, from real estate development, technology, construction, sustainability, and architecture. 

As a Tower Partner, Clark Construction served as an inaugural sponsor of the Smart City Challenge, with several company leaders participating as panelists, judges, and keynote speakers at the event. 

Sameer Bhargava, chief financial officer of Clark, joined speakers, including U.S. Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, to offer remarks during the live finalist event. 

“At Clark, we believe it is critical that we work together as a region to continue to make the DMV as strong, resilient, and inclusive as it can be,” said Bhargava. “The Smart City Challenge embodies this philosophy in every way – participants with all types of experiences pushing their thinking together with a common goal.”

As part of the Smart City Challenge, Clark hosted a lunch & learn to bring together experts from a variety of backgrounds in technology, construction, sustainability, and urban development. Moderated by Catriona Winter, vice president of design services and project development at Clark, panelists discussed strategies for creating sustainable, efficient, and resilient communities of the future. 

During the panel, Fernando Arias, director of sustainability at Clark, offered insight into the new Biden administration’s sustainability policies and pursuit of energy justice, while Tracy Sayegh Gabriel, president and executive director of the National Landing BID, highlighted how business improvement districts can help promote investment in transportation, housing, parks, deep tech infrastructure, and more.

Desa Sealy, president and chief executive officer at Gotham Urban Ventures and Ekua Gilbert-Baffoe, project executive at S2N Technology Group, asked participants to consider other inspirational and trailblazing examples of Smart Community projects on the horizon. They offered examples including fusing workforce development with educational equity and tech-centric vocational careers and leveraging public-private partnerships to make community improvement projects a reality without burdening taxpayers.

The Smart City Challenge concluded with a live Shark Tank-style competition where 11 finalists pitched their ideas for a more sustainable future. 

Lee DeLong, division president of the Clark’s Mid-Atlantic region, served on the panel of judges. “The energy and ingenuity of these teams ensures that the DMV will continue to lead the world in integrating technology into how we work, live and play,” DeLong remarked. The five winners’ pitches ranged from cutting-edge solutions to address health inequity, gun violence and the digital divide.

Via involvement through the Smart City Challenge and other initiatives, Clark remains steadfast in its commitment to innovation in the built environment. Clark is involved in other successful partnerships such as the ConnectedDMV, Greater Washington Partnership, and the Montgomery County Advisory Group where business, academic, government, and community leaders all work together to solve critical issues.