Chicago — City Tech Collaborative today announced the launch of a new Advanced Mobility Initiative to drive urban mobility innovation, building on the organization’s growing portfolio of solutions designed to make cities work better for their residents.
Cities around the world are experiencing profound change at a rapid pace. Driven by demands from city residents, new business models and emerging technologies, there is a rallying cry across the nation for leaders and advocates to seize new transportation opportunities.
The Advanced Mobility Initiative seeks to do just that. The future of urban mobility is in flux, and City Tech has risen to the occasion to ensure that both cities and residents benefit from groundbreaking and scalable technology solutions. With a cross-sector consortium of partners, City Tech will develop, test and scale these solutions to make urban mobility more safe, accessible, equitable and efficient for all.
“Technology is once again reshaping Chicago’s transportation landscape, like the canals, railways and roads did before. Chicago has the unique opportunity now to integrate the physical and digital infrastructure that will power the future of mobility,” said Angel Mendez, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of HERE Technologies. “We are proud to support City Tech’s Advanced Mobility Initiative as we work together with partners across the public and private sectors on developing a more equitable, safe and efficient transportation.
The initiative is only the latest in City Tech’s growing portfolio of mobility solutions. In 2017, City Tech partnered with Mastercard, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and ideas42 on a solution to reduce public transit congestion, resulting in a shift of 18.5 percent of peak CTA Red Line ridership prior to a Chicago Cubs game. Last fall, City Tech, HERE Technologies, UPS, Microsoft and Accenture launched a solution targeting urban traffic congestion caused by the rapid growth of online deliveries. The results will be available this spring.
Founding members of the Advanced Mobility Initiative include Bosch, HERE Technologies and Microsoft. These companies – joined by other mobility and technology industry leaders – are spearheading the development and launch of innovative solutions focused on the following areas:
• Physical infrastructure and asset management: Building, maintaining, and managing public and private transportation infrastructure;
• Mobility services: Improving and coordinating existing public and private transportation;
• Digital infrastructure: Creating platforms, standards, permissions, and protections to facilitate sharing of data generated in the public way.
The consortium’s efforts will help cities and other actors to manage a rising flood of vehicles, infrastructure, and data, with an eye toward integrating new transportation modes and technologies such as widespread electric vehicle charging, automated vehicles, scooters, and drones.
“As cities grow and become more densely populated, urban planners face the challenge of ensuring residents and businesses have affordable, sustainable transportation options that meet their needs,” said Elizabeth Grossman, Director of Strategic and National Partnerships for Microsoft’s Cities Team. “This collaboration can show how assets, data and devices from smart infrastructure, transportation networks, and connected vehicles can be responsibly connected to empower city planners, transit agencies, and other urban leaders to design and implement effective mobility systems.”
Advanced Mobility Initiative industry participants include Millennium Parking Garage, National Express Group, and AECOM, which will combine capabilities, technology, and market reach to address evolving mobility challenges and market opportunities. Additional support will come through strategic partnerships with universities, startups and civic institutions, including Argonne National Laboratory’s Center for Transportation Research, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, CityBase Inc., the Illinois Autonomous Vehicles Association, Innova EV, London and Partners, the Metropolitan Planning Council, MobilityE3, MUVE Inc., Northwestern University’s Transportation Center, project44, the Shared Use Mobility Center, SpotHero, and Via Transportation.
The initiative will create an innovation roadmap that will serve as a flexible, multi-year plan integrating policy and technology for advanced urban mobility. The effort will also include public engagement, including resident participation in solution development and leveraging the City Tech Civic User Testing group. Collaborative workshops, pilots, and technology demonstrations will show the impact of newly-developed solutions on cities and their residents.
“As a company at the heart of mobility, Bosch has a unique understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing urban environments,” said Bernd Heinrichs, executive vice president and Chief Digital Officer for Mobility Solutions at Bosch. “We look forward to collaborating together with others in the Advanced Mobility Initiative on new solutions for how urban environments move now and into the future.”
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About the City Tech Collaborative
City Tech transforms cities into testbeds for new ideas. We remake essential city services and infrastructure using advanced technology, and then expand these solutions to other cities. With our partners, we are diverting rainwater from overloaded sewer systems, easing subway congestion during large events, and launching a digital directory of public health services in Chicago.
Please visit www.CityTechCollaborative.org for more information.