Skip to main content

‘Overwhelming response’ to USDOT Smart City Challenge

Medium-sized cities across the US have submitted applications for the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) Smart City Challenge. According to US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, 77 cities from Reno to Rochester and Anchorage to Albuquerque have applied to enter the competition, which seeks to create an innovative, fully integrated model city that uses data, technology and creativity to shape how people and goods move in the future. The USDOT will award the winning city up to US$40 million to imp
February 9, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
Medium-sized cities across the US have submitted applications for the 324 US Department of Transportation (USDOT) Smart City Challenge. According to US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, 77 cities from Reno to Rochester and Anchorage to Albuquerque have applied to enter the competition, which seeks to create an innovative, fully integrated model city that uses data, technology and creativity to shape how people and goods move in the future.

The USDOT will award the winning city up to US$40 million to implement bold, data-driven ideas that make transportation safer, easier, and more reliable. Additionally, Paul G. Allen's Vulcan Inc. intends to award up to US$10 million to the challenge winner to support electric vehicle deployment and other carbon emission reduction strategies, while Mobileye announced that it would outfit the entire fleet of the winning city's public bus system with its Shield + driver-assistance safety technology.

Applicants from cities across the country were asked to include a range of innovations and data-driven platforms to anticipate and address community needs. Specifically, the USDOT is looking at how to integrate multiple innovations such as automated vehicles, the sharing economy, and other technologies into a network that connects people to their intelligent transportation system.

Five finalists will be announced at SXSW in Austin on 12 March. These finalists will each receive US$100,000 to hone their proposals and develop applications for the final selection process scheduled for June 2016. Vulcan will work with the USDOT to assist the five finalist cities with technical guidance and other support in keeping with its commitment to leverage technology, investments, and philanthropy to drive a low-carbon future.

UTC

Related Content

  • February 11, 2016
    Transport for New South Wales launches transport innovation program
    The New South Wales (NSW) government in Australia is launching a 12 month program to uncover the trends and technologies that it claims will revolutionise the way the government and customers plan, build and use transport. Announcing the Future Transport program, NSW Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Andrew Constance said he was calling on the world's brightest tech minds to find the next big idea that would shake up transport in the state. Future Transport will kick off with a two-day summit
  • May 28, 2015
    USDOT to participate in 2015 ITS America annual meeting
    The Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office (ITS JPO) of the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) is set to participate in the 2015 ITS America annual meeting in Pittsburg. USDOT experts will share their knowledge on a wide variety of topics such as connected vehicles, mobility, emissions, traffic incident management, the use of technology to improve the nation's freight system, automated vehicles, cyber issues, MAP-21 performance measures, truck parking issues, road weather strategies, w
  • February 14, 2025
    ITS Australia 2025 Awards: the winners
    CEO Susan Harris praises 'collaborative spirit' to deliver data-led solutions
  • October 30, 2015
    ITS America applauds latest TIGER grants
    US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has announced US$500 million in TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) 2015 grants for 39 transportation projects in 34 states, some projects spanning several states. In selecting projects, Foxx prioritised the extent to which the proposed project strengthens access to opportunities through transportation improvements.