Seven American cities will be competing for an award of up to $40 million that they would use to reinvent transportation in their communities using data, technology and a big dose of innovation and creativity. The seven cities – Austin, Texas; Columbus, Ohio; Denver Colorado; Kansas City, Missouri; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Portland, Oregon; and San Francisco, California – are the finalists in the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Smart Cities Challenge. The finalists, chosen from more than 75 applicants, were announced by U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx Sunday at the South by Southwest Conferences and Festivals (SXSW) in Austin.
USDOT had originally planned only five Smart Cities Challenge finalists, but in making the announcement of the seven that will compete for the $40 million, Foxx said that the overwhelming response to the competition had exceeded expectations. Therefore, seven finalists were chosen because of their potential to “transform” the future of urban transportation.
Each of the Smart Cities Challenge finalists will be awarded $100,000 from USDOT that can be used to further develop its respective project. The overall winner will be chosen and receive the $40 million prize in June. Additionally, the winner will be eligible for up to $10 million in additional funds from Vulcan, Inc. to support vehicle deployment and other carbon emission reduction strategies to further enhance its project. Other partnerships with private-sector firms will provide support for data storage, driver-assistance technology, 3D modeling and a V2V communication system.
Each of the applications received by USDOT was what the agency called a “high-level overview.” Now each finalist receiving the $100,000 awards will provide a more detailed concept of how they plan to use their proposed innovative technologies to bring their projects to fruition. USDOT will work with officials of the seven finalist cities to connect them with existing partnerships and will also provide technical assistance.
Because of steadily increasing population growth, urban areas of the country – particularly mid-size cities – are facing challenges in transportation. Forward thinking on how to address these issues will be rewarded through the Smart Cities competition.
This year’s SXSW – the festival’s 30th year – was highlighted by a visit from President Barack Obama, who addressed the nation’s ever-changing technology, and urged tech companies to lend their expertise to helping government make better use of technology – from new platforms to new ideas.