Buffalo, NY, will always be my hometown. Nothing can change where you were born, grew up, and spent the earlier half of your life. Throughout the years, I’ve made my way back to the city that defined my “growing up years”, made my rounds visiting family and friends, and continued to watch the changes. Boy, did the city change.

Buffalo is under a revitalization, there’s no doubt about that. It’s attracting millennials, gaining new businesses, and enhancing infrastructure. The changes are giving the once gritty city a new look; bike lanes, outdoor yoga classes, and kayak tours to name a few. The Washington Post even described Buffalo as having a “South Beach inspired gathering place” filled with adirondack chairs lining the waterfront. Wow, are things changing in this snow belt city that brought us hot wings (if you’re from Buffalo they’re just ‘wings’), the grain elevator, and hydraulic power. To think this revitalization is completely transforming a city that was once defined by an industrial landscape and aggressive lake effect snowstorms into a vibrant and booming city is incredible.

But how exactly does mobile technology fit into the picture?

It’s obvious that technology is progressing and changing the way we live our day-to-day lives. In the U.S., 64% of people own a smartphone device – meaning mobile technology is here and it’s not going anywhere, anytime soon. As more cities, like Buffalo, go through a revitalization, it will be interesting to see how mobile technology enhances communities.

With mobile technology, day-to-day tasks that were once a hassle are now simple. Today, you have the ability to have Pad Thai delivered to your front door with a touch of a button through Postmates, you can close your garage door while in a board meeting 100 miles away through the ‘Home’ app, and you can purchase your light rail ticket via your smartphone device. Handling your transit experience is no different. With mobile apps, such as Passport’s, you have the ability to plan, track, and pay for your transit fare with your smartphone. The progression of technology, specifically mobile technology, is making being multimodal possible.

The addition of mobile technology not only provides users with the convenience they desire, but continues to play a key role in the revitalization of cities.

While I was in Buffalo, I made it a point to explore some of the new breweries downtown, such as Resurgence Brewery (ironically, the name is in honor of the actual resurgence of the City of Buffalo). Of course parking was necessary and with Passport’s parking app – I was able to quickly and efficiently handle paying for my session entirely through the app. Pretty simple. The City of Detroit is following suit. If any city has gone through a resurgence, it’s Detroit. They’re redefining their history and making an inevitable comeback.

“Detroit’s strategy is to grow from the inside out, lighting a fire downtown and hoping it eventually spreads to the city’s outlying neighborhoods and reignites their potential.”

With the launch of ParkDetroit, the city’s mobile parking app, users are provided with the convenient way to park. Parkers are able to handle paying, extending, and managing their parking session through their smartphone. With 40% utilization and climbing, it’s evident that mobile technology is playing a significant role in fueling revitalization. Within the next few months, the City of Buffalo will be launching Passport’s mobile parking payment app, which will provide users with the efficiency they want while managing their city experience.

With the implementation of mobile a variety of mobile apps, cities are now able to provide residents and transients alike with the ability to explore. Mobile apps like Airbnb, a home-sharing service that allows users to rent out homes, apartments, and rooms, and Uber and Lyft, ride-sharing apps that provide on-demand mobility – are greatly enhancing cities.

For Buffalo, it’s just the beginning of the resurgence. Thanks to the advancement of technology, things are changing for the booming city…