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News from Transportation for America August 18, 2016

Calling all smart cities Applications are now open for our new smart city collaborative with Sidewalk Labs The application process for our national, multi-city collaborative with Sidewalk Labs is open. The collaborative is intended to help a small group of ambitious cities use technology thoughtfully and intentionally to meet their pressing transportation challenges. As we read through all 78 city applications this spring for the USDOT Smart Cities Challenge one thing became very clear: It’s really hard to put a finger on precisely what a smart city is right now, and what it means to be one. What’s the norm? Where should a city be in relation to their peers? To help establish a baseline and get a more organized sense of where cities are in this evolution, we’ve also distributed a State of the Smart City benchmarking survey to gather data from cities on the technologies and strategies they currently employ along with the tools they have at their disposal. Take the survey and find out more about applying today. LEARN MORE We'll also be talking smart cities in Sacramento this November Our Capital Ideas conference focuses mostly on state policy, but this year we'll also be spending some time talking about how cities can be proactive when it comes to using technology to shape their cities for the better. Susan Shaheen, co-director of the Transportation Sustainability Research Center at the University of California, Berkeley, will be moderating a panel called: Shape it, or be shaped by it: Preparing for new technology and a smarter city. The panel will feature leaders in mobility-on-demand, smart cities, congestion management and other emerging technologies bringing rapid changes to cities of all sizes. Join us in Sacramento on November 16-17 to learn more.

recent news Last chance to tell USDOT that streets need to do more than move vehicles fast Thousands of you have already called on USDOT urging them not to prioritize vehicle speed above almost all other criteria on all types of roads and streets. The comment period for this proposal closes this week. If you haven't yet sent a letter, help us make a final push: sign a letter asking USDOT to change this proposed measure. Read more. Catch up on last week's discussion on creative placemaking Last week we hosted a terrific online discussion about using arts and design to improve the process of community visioning — the first in a series of webinars covering creative placemaking. Catch up with a recording of the full presentation and download the slides. Read more. Articles we're talking about U.S. Department of Transportation traffic formula stuck in the 1950s – The Hill Metro Detroit leaders reach regional transit deal – Detroit News  An ambitious proposal to build parks and housing above The Connector – Atlanta Magazine  The Problem with Data-Based Transportation Planning — CityLab From the Director's Desk This note comes from Russ Brooks, director of T4America's Smart Cities program.  USDOT's Smart City Challenge not only generated a tremendous amount of excitement, it also created a rare opportunity to engage and propel cities forward. This is why we launched the Smart Cities Collaborative with Sidewalk Labs, for which the application process opened just last week. We’ve had a great response so far with numerous cities applying to join the proposed working groups. Our State of the Smart City survey went out to over 200 cities to help establish a baseline and get a better sense of where cities are in this evolution at both the national level and for individual cities.  While this momentum is remarkable, it’s clear that cities need more than just funding, however. They need expertise and support to help them thoughtfully navigate a challenging path forward, all while trying to stay ahead of trends that are already changing their cities. We’re hopeful that this collaborative will help a handful of ambitious cities use technology to accelerate access to opportunity for all of their residents.  Looking Back, Looking Ahead Are you a Complete Streets advocate? Join us in Sacramento on November 15, 2016. The National Complete Streets Coalition is hosting the first-ever national conference aabout Complete Streets in Sacramento, CA. Learn how advocates can encourage Complete Streets and work with engineers and practitioners to get these projects built. If you’re already going to be attending Capital Ideas with us, Street Lights: Illuminating Implementation and Equity in Complete Streets is conveniently held at the same venue the day before. Register for both and make it a conference double! Beth Osborne, Vice President for Transportation Technical Assistance, will be in Kansas City, MO on August 30 to lead a technical assistance workshop focusing on the stabilization and revitalization of the Prospect MAX Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor. This workshop is a project of the Federal Transit Administration in partnership with Smart Growth America designed to provide technical assistance to improve access to public transportation, build new economic opportunities and pathways to employment, and support transit-oriented development. Join us at Smart Cities Week in Washington DC on September 27-29. We'll be talking about our new Smart Cities Collaborative, a partnership with Sidewalk Labs to help cities win funding, tools, and authority to advance "connected streets" of the future. Learn more. Interested in creative placemaking? We’re talking about it all over the country over the next few months: Join T4A Director James Corless and Director of Arts & Culture Ben Stone for a conversation about creative placemaking at the Northeastern Economic Developers Association (NEDA) Conference on September 12 in New Haven, CT.  At the Rail~Volution 2016 Conference on October 10 in San Francisco, CA, find us for this session: "Planning for People WITH People: Placemaking with Arts, Culture and Creativity,” led by Ben Stone and Rochelle Carpenter, Manager of Health and Transportation Programs. And at the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO) 2016 Conference on October 28 in Fort Worth, TX, Ben Stone will share insight into “How Creative Placemaking can Revolutionize the Public Engagement Process.” Join our team. If you want to help communities across the country grow stronger through transportation, check out our current openings. Learn more. @T4America tweet of the week If you know a transportation innovator with less than 10 yrs experience, they should apply for NYU Rudin Center's emerging leaders.  http://wagner.nyu.edu/rudincenter/2016/08/2016emergingleaders/ 11 Aug 2016  Follow us on twitter  Did you receive this message from a friend or coworker? Sign up here for news & updates from Transportation for America Transportation for America 1707 L Street NW #250 Washington, DC 20011 t4america.org You received this because the email address  is signed up with T4America. You can unsubscribe here. Any other issues? Email us at info@t4america.org