LIVE FROM AUSTIN, TEXAS: The Smart City Challenge
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LIVE FROM AUSTIN, TEXAS: The Smart City Challenge
L I VE F ROM AUSTIN, TE XAS: The Smart City Challenge
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY........................................................................................1 VOLUME 1C: PROGRAM MANAGEMENT.............................................................49
Program Management Plan...............................................................................49
VOLUME 1 – VISION AND BACKGROUND..............................................................5 Kick-off Meeting with USDOT.............................................................................50
The Smart Austin Vision.......................................................................................5 Stakeholder and Community Engagement..........................................................50
Austin’s Policy Landscape: An Open Market for TNC..............................................8 Reporting.........................................................................................................52
Our Vision for Austin: The Opportunity City............................................................9 System Requirements.......................................................................................52
Removing the I-35 Barrier.................................................................................11 Safety..............................................................................................................52
Connected and Automated Vehicles....................................................................12 Metrics & Evaluation.........................................................................................53
Reducing our Carbon Footprint: A Vision for Electric Fleets..................................14
Promoting Scaling, Replicability, Commercialization & Incubation.........................14 VOLUME 1D: STAFFING PLAN..........................................................................57
Packaged Mobility and Connected Traveler Access and Equity..............................15 Consortium.......................................................................................................57
Team Organization............................................................................................58
VOLUME 1A - TECHNICAL APPROACH................................................................17 Staffing Plan.....................................................................................................59
User-Focused Mobility.......................................................................................17
VOLUME 1E: CAPACITY AND CAPABILITY............................................................60
Connected Travelers and the Mobility Marketplace..............................................20
Active Transportation.........................................................................................60
Urban Delivery..................................................................................................23
Smart Land Use................................................................................................60
Smart Stations and Connected Corridors............................................................23
Envision Tomorrow............................................................................................62
The Mobility Innovation Center...........................................................................30
Austin Economic Development Initiatives............................................................62
Urban Analytics and Policy Research (UAPR).......................................................35
Mobility Marketplace, Smart Stations, Ladders of Opportunity..............................62
Vehicle Fleet Electrification................................................................................37
Automated and Connected Vehicles and Connected Corridors..............................63
Scaling Solutions and Transferring Knowledge....................................................40
ROMC, Sensor Data and Infrastructure...............................................................64
Data Rodeo and Urban Analytics........................................................................65
VOLUME 1B: DATA MANAGEMENT....................................................................44
Capacity Building: Creating Social & Economic Value...........................................65
Information and Cyber Security..........................................................................44
Electric Fleets...................................................................................................67
Data Management Planning with the Data Rodeo................................................44
Existing Potential Opportunities for Data Collection..............................................45
CONCLUSION...................................................................................................67
City of Austin, Texas Table of Coontents
L I VE F ROM AUSTIN, TE XAS: The Smart City Challenge
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Working families at all income levels are feeling some of
these pressures. Middle-income tradespeople, mid-level
Pilots, Places and Services for People
Austin is America’s fastest-growing major city. Since professionals, and employees in public service — such • Transit access hubs, known as Smart Stations, that
2010, the population has grown by more than 100 peo- as the thousands of Austinites who work for the State of bring together a wide variety of mobility services, along
ple per day. Our city has twice as many people as it did Texas and University of Texas — are finding themselves with opportunities for other services useful to travel-
30 years ago, and the urbanized area now spreads into living further and further away from their jobs Downtown, ers, and can serve as centers for the deployment of
five counties. on campus and at the Capitol Complex in the urban core. autonomous and connected vehicles, urban freight
Even the highly educated workforce for which Austin is logistics, and electric fleets. Pilot locations include
That growth is sustained by one of America’s most vital famous finds itself impacted by the scarcity of reason- Austin’s airport, Downtown Austin, the low-income and
metropolitan economies. Austin is one of only a few cities ably priced family housing near its increasingly urbanized transit-dependent community around Rundberg Lane,
that actually gained jobs during the recession beginning workplaces. and Austin’s suburban city of Pflugerville.
in 2008. Much of that economic energy is driven by inno- • Connected Corridors that link the Smart Stations, with
vation in technology and by the creative industries who’ve All these factors conspire to plague Austin with some new transit services (including a deployment of electric
made Austin an international destination for art, music, of the worst mobility challenges in America. But they bus rapid transit), dedicated transit lanes and signal
film, food, media and culture. also create the urgency that we feel will energize and priority, better facilities for active transportation, and a
empower our Smart City effort. Our vision is to make sensor-rich environment that allows for rapid deploy-
But obviously that prosperity and vitality is not being Austin a Smart City that builds on our history of inno- ment of V2V and V2I connected-vehicle technology. Our
shared equally by everyone. The Martin Prosperity Insti- vative and successful public and private collaborations, Riverside Drive Smart Corridor pilot is a major arterial
tute at the University of Toronto identified Austin as the the open and flexible regulatory environment, our ongo- with high transit use and a significant lower-income
most economically segregated major metro area in ing investments in comprehensive planning for complete, population that links Downtown and the Austin airport.
America. Traditionally marginalized communities of color compact and connected communities, and most of all the
• A Mobility Marketplace that connects travelers to
in working-class neighborhoods are being displaced by diversity and creativity of our people.
their best packaged mobility options and provides
gentrifying pressures and high housing costs, as those an ecosystem for the development of new mobility
neighborhoods become boutique and trendy hotspots. By bringing 21st-century mobility to life in Central Texas,
services, with integrated payment options (including
Meanwhile, outlying suburbs are developing their own we aim to accomplish goals in 10 years what many cit-
options for the unbanked) real-time travel informa-
concentrations of poverty, in areas where there are few ies have had 100 years to accomplish. We can and will
tion via app or kiosk, and a mobility analytics platform
services to meet the needs of the underserved. deliver on Austin’s own community values of equity, eco-
being developed in partnership with USDOT’s federal
nomic opportunity, and environmental stewardship (the
partners at Sidewalk Labs. To ensure that a technolo-
“three Es”), inform and provide testable hypotheses and
gy-based marketplace is accessible across the digital
proven pilots for the other Smart City finalists, and build
divide, this pilot also includes a human-driven outreach
a foundation for Texas-wide partnerships for better urban
component — Smart Ambassadors who will work on
mobility.
the neighborhood level to educate and help people take
Our Smart City vision includes a variety of pilots and pro-
advantage of the marketplace.
grams that continue on Austin’s current track record of
adopting innovative technology, including: • All three of the above pilots are integrated into a set
of Ladders of Opportunity Initiatives that use Smart
Stations, Connected Corridors and the Mobility Market-
place to improve access to jobs, education, healthcare,
healthy food, and other areas of need. These include
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L I VE F ROM AUSTIN, TE XAS: The Smart City Challenge
partnerships with Central Health’s network of Com- • A large-scale fleet electrification program under the All of these efforts will be supported by ongoing stake-
mUnityCare safety-net clinics, with Austin Commu- aegis of Austin Energy, which has already achieved holder engagement with both partners and users and
nity College (both as a major destination and as the milestones in electric vehicle adoption and powers its rapid assessment and documentation of both successes
region’s largest workforce developer), with the Restore entire charging network with 100% renewable energy. and failures, guided by a governance structure that brings
Rundberg community-development and crime-preven- Targets for quick uptake of vehicles include the city’s together local agencies and non-profit partners in a con-
tion initiative, and with Google Fiber and the Housing taxi and ride-hailing fleet, delivery vehicles, the city’s sortium model, with executive-level authority residing
Authority of the City of Austin, which are collaborators own fleet, and electric transit vehicles. within the City organization.
on a nationally recognized digital inclusion effort with
the City and with nonprofit partners. Infrastructure, Data and Analytics: The Mobility Achieving USDOT’s Expected Smart City Outcomes
Innovation Center
“Austin is a beacon of sustainability, social equity, and
Our core “back of the house” programs that will support economic opportunity; where diversity and creativity are
the Smart City pilots include: celebrated; where community needs and values are rec-
ognized; where leadership comes from its citizens, and
• Our “One System” regional operations and manage- where the necessities of life are affordable and accessi-
ment concept, integrating and enhancing travel man- ble to all. Austin’ greatest asset is its people: Passionate
agement operations between the City of Austin, Capital about our city, committed to its improvement, and deter-
Metro, Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (a toll mined to see this vision become a reality.” – Imagine
road operator), the Texas Department of Transportation, Austin Comprehensive Plan, 2012
and other communities, including the deployment of
Integrated Corridor Management along Interstate 35 At a policy and organizational level, Austin’s own commu-
(already planned by TxDOT). nity goals — for example, as expressed in our Imagine
• A network of rich intelligent sensors that will feed Austin Comprehensive Plan — mirror USDOT’s Smart
more and better data to transportation agencies and City outcomes and as such have influenced the develop-
Deploying Tomorrow’s Vehicles help tackle a variety of persistent challenges facing ment of Austin’s Smart City vision:
local operations managers, public safety agencies, and
• A connected and automated vehicle program that planners. • Improving Safety – Austin is a Vision Zero community
builds on work being done already in Austin, with Goo- • A two-way open data portal, known as the Data that, after a record year for auto fatalities in 2015, is
gle X self-driving cars already on the streets and man- Rodeo, which will integrate and curate data from pub- committed to improving travel safety. Connected-vehi-
ufacturers such as General Motors, NXP, Siemens and lic, private and non-profit sources, including data pro- cle (V2V/V2I) technology, pedestrian/bicycle detection,
Cirrus Logic innovating in the connected-vehicle space. viders beyond the transportation sector, and make data intelligent sensor deployment to support more effective
The Smart City initiative will include both a closed- available to enable research and education as well as incident management, Smart Station services that pro-
loop test environment at Austin’s airport and options support application and tool developers. vide travelers with a variety of safe choices, and other
for open testing on the Riverside Connected Corridor, components of Austin’s Smart City vision all will create
• An Urban Analytics and Policy Research platform
and a prototype autonomous shuttle from the airport to a safer travel environment.
that plays an integrated role in performance manage-
the nearby Smart Station, exposing thousands of ear-
ment, metrics and evaluation for the entire Smart City
ly-adopting Austin travelers and technology pros to the
effort.
CV/AV environment.
City of Austin, Texas Page 2
L I VE F ROM AUSTIN, TE XAS: The Smart City Challenge
• Address Climate Change: Austin’s own Climate Pro- In the end, these innovative transportation services will
tection Plan establishes goals for greenhouse-gas be part of the lives of every single person living, working
reductions that have informed Austin Energy’s work on or visiting Austin. With success, they’ll also more quickly
the fleet electrification program in the Smart City vision. become part of the lives of residents of dozens of other
Because the municipal utility has a large and growing US cities because of the work done in Austin with the
renewables portfolio, electric fleets in Austin can be Smart City investment — delivering the best possible
powered without simply shifting the city’s carbon foot- return on that investment to USDOT.
print from the transportation network to the power grid.
The Smart Station, Connected Corridor and Mobility
Marketplace pilots also focus on providing people with
more climate-friendly alternatives to driving alone —
whether transit, active transportation, shared rides or
future autonomous vehicles.
• Enhance Mobility – Austin is already at the forefront
of innovation of new mobility services and information Creating A Smart Ecosystem
tools, including (as just announced May 23), a new non-
profit model for TNC service, that are built on by the Austin’s Smart City vision grew organically and brings
Smart City vision. Smart Stations, Connected Corridors together dozens of participating agencies, community
and the Mobility Marketplace promise better options groups, private-sector firms, and academic institutions.
for both personal and freight mobility. By incorporating This ecosystem of partners reflects the people and cul-
human-centered outreach with the Smart Ambassador ture of Austin; each brings unique offerings and creates
program and by siting these pilots in areas of need, unique value. But all are focused on ensuring that initial
Austin’s Smart City vision will provide a broad spectrum investments made with the Smart City Challenge grant
of diverse residents with new and better ways to meet are documented with sound metrics and research, rep-
their travel needs. licable and scalable and sustainable, can generate value
• Enhance Ladders of Opportunity – Austin’s Ladders over the long term, and most of all make a useful differ-
of Opportunity Initiatives build on already successful ence in people’s lives.
efforts by public, private and community partners to
accomplish such goals as improving access to health- The potential for improved quality of life that’s enabled by
care, developing a next-generation workforce, revital- a Smart City must promote equal economic potential: with
izing areas of concentrated poverty into complete and all genders; across all racial and ethnic backgrounds;
safe communities, and overcoming the digital divide. among all socio-economic classes; and across all pub-
By adding a transportation component to these efforts, lic institutions and commercial sectors of the economy.
we feel we are directly fulfilling the USDOT vision. In Achieving these outcomes requires engaging our com-
addition, the development and deployment of Smart munity. We will bring together stakeholders of every kind
City technologies will create economic opportunities to enable the community as a whole to serve the under-
and jobs for a wider spectrum of Austin workers and served and enfranchise the disenfranchised.
companies.
City of Austin, Texas Page 3
L I VE F ROM AUSTIN, TE XAS: The Smart City Challenge
ANNOTATED SITE MAP
City of Austin, Texas Page 4
L I VE F ROM AUSTIN, TE XAS: The Smart City Challenge
VOLUME 1: VISION A SMART AUSTIN
Austin is home to hundreds of thousands of smart people, future employment centers, and complete and con- This ecosystem is already emerging; as we’ve refined
thousands of innovative businesses, more startups and nected neighborhoods. our Smart City Challenge vision, we’ve identified a
patents than any other city in Texas, top-flight research broad set of public and private collaborators, answered
institutions, pathfinding new technologies … and some • Access to technologies that deliver the real value in key strategic and tactical questions and, most impor-
of the worst mobility and equity challenges in America. a Smart City — safe, clean and efficient travel made tantly, taken a “user-first” approach to ensuring our
Austin’s hyper-growth over the past decade has brought possible with tools from intelligent sensors, to auto- solutions are designed to meet the needs of all peo-
economic vitality coupled with a number of challenges, mated and connected vehicles, to fully electrified and ple and communities. Building on Austin’s existing
including long commutes, unaffordable close-in housing, de-carbonized fleets. accomplishments in entrepreneurship, early adoption
and the suburbanization of poverty. We bear the unwel- of technology and creative real-world problem solving,
• Access to information through coordinated and opti-
come distinction of being the most economically segre- we want our Smart City to be the best place to realize
mized two-way data management, a solid policy frame-
gated urban area in the nation. We really have no other the greatest return on public and private investments
work informed through data analytics, workforce devel-
choice but to become a Smart City to tackle these chal- in 21st century mobility, including the DOT’s Smart
opment to support a new economy, and a Connected
lenges head-on with the best tools possible. City Challenge grant.
Traveler initiative that helps service providers better
Our vision is to make Austin a Smart City that builds on understand traveler needs.
our history of innovative public and private collaborations Using the US DOT’s Beyond Traffic Vision Elements as a touchstone, Austin has refined and integrated its Smart City
to bring 21st-century mobility to life in Central Texas. component initiatives to help spur the growth of our accessibility ecosystem while also seeking the best ways to
This will meet the urgent need for safe and affordable achieve the essential outcomes of greater safety, improved mobility, cleaner transportation to combat climate change,
travel throughout our fast-growing urban area, deliver on and the creation of meaningful ladders of opportunity.
Austin’s own community values of equity, prosperity, and
environmental stewardship, inform and provide a model TECHNOLOGY ELEMENTS (Highest Priority)
for other cities facing the same challenges, and build a
Vision Element #1 Vision Element #2 Vision Element #3
foundation for a Texas-wide partnership for better urban Urban Automation Connected Vehicles Intelligent Sensor-
mobility. Based Infrastructure
Our Smart City approach builds and activates an eco- INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO URBAN TRANSPORTATION ELEMENTS (High Priority)
system of accessibility that translates “mobility” Vision Element #4 Vision Element #5 Vision Element #6
directly into o pportunities: User-Focused Mobility Urban Analytics Urban Delivery
Services and Choices and Logistics
• Access to services via a mobility marketplace that Vision Element #7 Vision Element #8 Vision Element #9
works hand-in-hand with Connected Travelers to cre- Strategic Business Smart Grid, Roadway Connected,
Models & Partnering Electrification, & EVs Involved Citizens
ate safe, complete, door-to-door connections to jobs,
housing, educational opportunities, healthy communi-
ties, and more, and to help all travelers make better, SMART CITY ELEMENTS (Priority)
more informed choices. Vision Element #10 Vision Element #11 Vision Element #12
Architecture and Low-Cost, Efficient Smart Land Use
• Access to places that not only bring together mobil- Standards Secure & Resilient ICT
ity services and modes but also intelligent land uses,
City of Austin, Texas Page 5
L I VE F ROM AUSTIN, TE XAS: The Smart City Challenge
• Mobility Innovation Center (MIC) – Governance underwent gentrification. With new investment, it is
model that develops, deploys, and evaluates the pilots critical to balance revitalization with the preservation of
and programs associated with Austin’s Smart City effort Smart a community’s heritage and culture.
• Smart Stations – Strategically selected locations that Stations • Historic Barriers – Like many cities, Austin exhibits
create places of social, economic, and technological racial divides that have been perpetuated by planning,
activity Y MARKETP infrastructure, and socioeconomic policies. In 1928,
Connected
I LIT LA
• Connected Corridors – Links between the Smart Traveler OB Regional C Packaged the Koch and Fowler city plan proposed the creation
Initiative M Mobility
Stations that are instrumented with sensors and other Operations of a “Negro District” – making it the only part of the
E
Services
Mangement
communications technology to enable V2V, V2I, and Concept (ROMC) city where African-Americans could access schools
V2X applications and other public services. In 1935, the federal gov-
• Next Generation Vehicles – Emerging technologies Data
Intelligent ernment launched a New Deal program; however it
Rodeo MIC Sensors
(+Communications excluded most minority communities through redlin-
that employ connected, automated, and alternative Network)
energy features ing – the practice of denying or charging more for
goods and services in certain neighborhoods. Conse-
• Data Rodeo – A data management system that
Urban Analytics quently, minority residents could not access govern-
enables travelers, public agencies, and Smart City part- & Policy Research
Connected RI (UAPR) ment-backed mortgages, restricting their ability to build
ners to archive, analyze, and access meaningful data
DO
R
Electric
Vehicles VE home equity and reinforcing segregationist boundaries.
and decision-making tools RSIDE CORRI Fleets
In the early 1960s, the I-35 highway was built through
• Regional Operations Management Center (ROMC) the low-income neighborhoods, dividing the city into
– A transportation center that unifies multiple stake- West and East Austin. The region’s racial divides have
holders, including ATD, TxDOT, CTRMA, CapMetro, and Automated become increasingly acute for its minority populations,
others to monitor and manage multimodal transporta- Vehicles
which struggle with higher poverty rates, more isolated
tion operations neighborhoods, lower educational attainment, and
• Partner Engagement – Partnership development pro- of transportation services to all communities. In partic- lower employment levels. If this pattern remains unad-
grams that engage employers, industry leaders, and ular, 15% of Austin’s population live in a transit desert, dressed, it represents a lost economic opportunity and
entrepreneurs for the benefit of the traveling public neighborhoods that have no or limited access to public allows poverty to continue its generational spread.
• Community Engagement – Outreach, education, and transit. As a result, transit dependent groups – such • Safety – Hundred of people are in accidents each
training programs that empower people to use mobility as the elderly, young, low-income, disabled, no vehi- year on Austin roadways. Austin is now committed to
to access opportunities cle households, and other underserved communities becoming a leading Vision Zero City.
• Sustainability – Scalability and commercialization – have limited opportunities to access healthcare, edu- • Sustainability – In order to address the environmen-
efforts that disseminate lessons learned and replication cation, or healthy food. tal concerns, Austin is dedicated to reducing its green-
methods • Affordability – It is important to consider the interrela- house gas emissions. A skilled workforce is also essen-
tionship between land use, utilities, and transportation tial to remaining competitive in today’s global economy.
This suite of pilots, programs and plans is tailored to and their joint impacts on a household budget. Between Economic growth and prosperity cannot be sustained
meet real-world challenges facing Austin, America’s fast- 1998 and 2008, the percentage of all single-family by population growth alone; it is imperative to develop
est-growing major city: homes in Austin considered affordable declined from the talent and potential of everyone. In 2010, 13.5%
42% to 28%. During that time, historic neighborhoods of all families with children residing in the Capital Area
• Mobility – In order to meet the diverse needs of Aus- fell into disrepair, residents relocated to Austin’s sub- lived below the federal poverty level. As the region’s
tin’s growing population, it is critical to provide a range urbs, and historically working-class communities
City of Austin, Texas Page 6
L I VE F ROM AUSTIN, TE XAS: The Smart City Challenge
population continues to grow and further diversify, Among significant changes from the components pre- 2. The development of a Connected Corridor along Riv-
disparity in educational attainment, if not addressed, sented in the NOFO1 submittal: erside Drive, linking Downtown Austin and the airport.
poses a threat to the social and economic fabric of the This busy corridor, which also traverses high-need
region. In an economy that embraces higher levels of 1. We have aligned our Smart Stations, along with pack- neighborhoods and provides for ladders of opportunity,
skills, a growing number of individuals will be unable aged mobility services and the Connected Traveler will be the test bed for deploying a number of Smart
to compete in the labor force for high-skill, high-wage initiative, directly with areas of high need, in collab- City pilot opportunities, including electric bus rapid
jobs oration with community partners including Central transit and safety features such as connected vehicle
Health (operator of CommUnityCare safety-net clinics), applications and bicycle and pedestrian detection..
Our approach to developing our Smart City pilots and the Housing Authority of the City of Austin, and Austin 3. The emergence of the Mobility Marketplace concept to
programs has been guided by governing principles Community College, among others. allow for open innovation of services to support pack-
including the following: aged mobility and the Connected Traveler and to make
the best use of the data resources available through the
• A commitment to open data that is available to every- Data Rodeo (our two-way open-data portal), the Mobil-
one ity Innovation Center, and our private sector partners.
• Avoiding proprietary systems with a goal of making all
components of the system open-source, expandable
and interoperable
• An adherence to standards to allow replicability in
data-gathering, data-reporting, software and hardware
development
• A commitment to new innovative and creative govern-
ment regulation, developed with private businesses in
new economies with emerging economic models and
platforms, that provides for structures that are as inno-
vative and creative as the businesses to be regulated
and does so in ways that do not impede private inno-
vation without requiring governments to abdicate their
required role in public interests such as safety. Austin is
facilitating Google’s current testing of autonomous cars
on our streets, was the locale of Daimler’s North Amer-
ican launch of Car2Go, and is developing a third-party
cross-platform validator badge, known as Thumbs Up,
to drive volunteer fingerprinting of TNC drivers
• High expectations of private partners who need to have
some skin in the game
• Policy leadership to accelerate adoption of new tech-
nologies, while protecting residents from unnecessary
risk or dangers
City of Austin, Texas Page 7
L I VE F ROM AUSTIN, TE XAS: The Smart City Challenge
AUSTIN’S POLICY LANDSCAPE: AN OPEN MARKET FOR
TRANSPORTATION NETWORK COMPANIES (TNC)
Almost uniquely so among major cities in the world, without credit cards. And there is discussion of pro- government structures, choosing instead to initiate an
Austin now offers an open market for Transportation viding public kiosks from which to hail a ride without election (which they lost) and then to leave town. The
Network Company (TNC) solutions – the only such city needing a personal computer or a cellular device. invitation for Uber and Lyft to operate in Austin and to
meaningfully and competitively available for innovation • No surge pricing. Or surge price optional for different join in the community conversation remains open, even
and evolution of TNC systems. Recently, the duopoly of service levels. while the City is welcoming new innovation and models,
Lyft and Uber left town after losing a ballot referendum • Local charity profit participation in revenue. as described above
[about the fingerprinting of drivers]. The newly created
• Locally Desired Safety Provisions or Choices. Support
open market already has sparked an exciting mix of new At scale, TNCs are critical to the success of Austin’s
for and participation in a community’s decision to have
participants and business models. mobility future as we actively seek to create a user-fo-
fingerprint background checked TNC drivers.
cused mobility-as-a-service model in Austin. Austin will
As part of the Smart Cities Challenge, Austin offers to • Willingness to engage with government to develop the continue to lead on policy development and balance with
be the test ground for next generation of TNC innova- appropriate intersection of new economic models with regards to new mobility technologies. Our goal is to min-
tors. New TNCs are coming to town: operations have the government’s duty and responsibility in areas such imize the negative impact to our residents when new dis-
been announced by GetMe, Fasten, Fare, zTrip, Hailacab, as public safety. rupted technologies are introduced. Austin proposes to
Wingz, RideAustin, and others are making inquiries. New work with our local and national partners to find viable
TNC models and concepts are being introduced. Among The new entrants into the TNC market are entering with solutions to the sharing economy regulation dilemma.
the new market entrants are ones that have announced capital commitments (note: of varying degrees). At least With our partners at Capital Factory, we are exploring new
an intention or a willingness to consider providing: one, Ride Austin, has already invested over $4 million application-based technology that could make biometric
in new product development specifically for the Austin data collection seamless and convenient — technology
launch and has raised at least $10 million to commence that could result in a transferrable and scalable solution
• Open Data. Making publicly available not only the
and sustain operations and achieve required market to this issue worldwide.
operational and economic data but also the travel and
liquidity. The City of Austin welcomes all TNCs into the
demand data that the established TNC industry has not
market and sees this capital commitment as being sim-
been willing to provide cities based on claims of pro-
ilar to those of other of our partners in the Smart City
prietorship.
Challenge
• TNC Platform integration with the community’s mass
transit options – first and last mile for transit and light It should be noted that the current Austin TNC ordinance
rail. does not provide any regulatory penalty or sanction for
• TNC Platform integration with single user mobility any TNC operating in the City with non-fingerprint back-
option platforms (transit, bike, pedestrian, and other ground checked drivers. Rather, the ordinance sets forth
ground transportation modes and services. the community goal and expectation that, over time,
• Non-Profit Status. Exploring whether non-profit or city almost all of the percentage of TNC driver miles or hours
infrastructure and public utilities of the future might not will be with fingerprint background-checked drivers. The
only consist of roads and pipes built in rights of way but ordinance is silent as to the mechanism and responsibil-
platforms existing in the cloud. ity for achieving these benchmarks. Unfortunately, Uber
• Living Wages for drivers. and Lyft declined to participate in a community conversa-
• Digital divide solutions. Ability for passengers to pay tion on these issues to help develop new forward looking
City of Austin, Texas Page 8L I VE F ROM AUSTIN, TE XAS: The Smart City Challenge
OUR VISION FOR AUSTIN: THE OPPORTUNITY CITY
How will the Austin Smart City initiatives help real people ters of commitment detailing their roles and goals; these they serve, to help inform people in need of these
move up the ladder? To craft our Ladders of Opportunity are included in Volume II of this submittal. new mobility options and get them to try them.
approach, we have been working with a diverse group
of community advisors and public, private, philanthropic Ladders of Opportunity Mobility Strategies
partners to develop innovative projects To ensure we can • Beta-test innovative strategies for improving travel
launch rapidly, and produce real data-driven results in options and tools for specific test groups of disad-
three years, Austin will leverage powerful equity initiatives vantaged people; measure results and implement the
in our community that already have proven momentum strategies that prove successful.
helping real people get a leg up on the ladder of oppor- • Test new first-and-last mile services – including on-de-
tunity – through education, jobs, housing, healthcare and mand shuttles – to help people conveniently reach
lifestyles, and more. Now we’ll be adding a powerful new existing major transit route stops/stations, when they
transportation layer as well. live/work beyond walking distance.
• Provide more efficient, affordable and accessible
Our Smart City initiative will use Smart Stations, Con-
mobility options that harness the latest advances in
nected Travelers, the Mobility Marketplace and other
on-demand, shared use mobility.
initiatives to pilot effective ways to measurably help
disadvantaged people and communities travel – safely, • Improve on existing paratransit options. Include access
affordably, and conveniently. We will test and measure for the disabled.
new initiatives that help targeted groups of people in • Smartphone interface and hailing will accom-
need, to access good jobs, schools, homes, medical care, modate people who lack traditional banking and
shopping areas, and other critical destinations, and keep credit card systems. Phone-in and info kiosk Ladders of Opportunity Initiatives — Phase 1
the costs of transportation affordable. options will be tested as alternate to smartphones.
1. Restore Rundberg revitalization area
Community Advancement Network (CAN) – a coalition Outreach and Education Strategies
of public-sector, community and faith-based organiza- • Ambassador Program: Recruiting peer “connectors” Rundberg is very diverse, very low-income area, where
tions who collaborate to improve health-human services, from our ethnically and culturally diverse pilot areas to over 50% of children eat with the help of food stamps
workforce, housing, and other supportive services needed provide person-to-person assistance and training on and 64% of residents speak Spanish or another non-En-
as ladders of opportunity in Central Texas – will be our accessing new tools and options glish language (e.g. Arabic, Burmese, Vietnamese, Chi-
lead partner to convene, connect, and inform community • Smart Trips Program: Individualized support to help nese). We will use the multifaceted “Restore Rundberg”
partners for this effort. Through CAN, we will reinvent the people/families take trips other than by car outreach networks that have already been established for
model for involving diverse, low-income people of ages • Multilingual: Programs, information, and public com- anti-crime, safety, health, and other linked place-based
in transportation investment decisions, in a way that is munications in both Spanish and English. Where fea- initiatives in the Rundberg Lane area in the past four
meaningful to them and truly improves their lives. We sible, include other languages and/or graphic tools that years, begun with a USDOJ grant.
will engage the many Austin and Central Texas profes- are minimally language-based
sional and groups already reinventing outreach and civic • Community Partners: Each of our community part- A Smart Station and new travel options and tools will help
engagement, an area of great interest and innovation in ners will conduct outreach with the populations residents connect to transit to access jobs, workforce
Austin. Many local community partners have provided let- training, healthcare and healthy lives. Rundberg residents
City of Austin, Texas Page 9L I VE F ROM AUSTIN, TE XAS: The Smart City Challenge
will help pilot initiatives for health clinic patients, public Six clinics are proposed for the pilot program. All have a ally underserved northeast Austin. Rackspace, a large IT
housing residents, and Austin Community College stu- large patient base, poor existing transit connections, and/ company, recently agreed co-locate at Highland Campus.
dents. or have other identified travel barriers. All Austin loca- As part of this agreement, ACC students will have intern-
tions are within the “Eastern Crescent” of underserved ships with the company. The Smart City career track can
The Rundberg area has major transit stops that connect communities. The six clinics serve individuals and fami- be integrated into ACC/City of Austin participation in the
to employment centers. However, many people live in lies who are low-income, and face educational, workforce White House TechHire Initiative. As a TechHire community,
‘transit deserts’ more than a half mile away from the tran- readiness, health and safety barriers to opportunity. The the College and City will build on its proven track record of
sit stops. Our Connected Traveler solution will pilot new pilot will focus on the first-last mile and shuttle con- creating pathways to tech-industry jobs.
first-last mile services to get people to these transit stops, nections to these clinics. The Mobility Marketplace will
including safer biking and walking routes. This will build provide data for prioritizing rollout of shuttle connections ACC will also offer a new Smart City, Smart Student travel
upon the personalized Smart Trips travel planning support based on metrics, help engage users through the Smart information and training program for its students. This
already piloted in the area by the city’s Active Transpor- Ambassador program to ensure they are aware of and will encourage them to use apps and other tools to utilize
tation team. able to access the program, and complementing this transportation options other than driving alone to cam-
A Rundberg community health assessment identified a approach with targeted subsidies. pus. As part of this project, ACC Highland and the City
‘lack of bus services to access grocery stores, health- also are discussing innovative parking solutions to help
care providers, and workplaces,” and challenges “getting 3. Austin Community College Workforce Training and serve the larger area. This includes potentially becoming
to and from health care facilities for many members of Mobility Options the pilot site for Austin’s first automated parking facility.
the community.” It also identified specific transportation We will develop new education programs to prepare Cen-
imporvements such as an on-demand circulator, better 4. Public Housing Residents
tral Texans for good jobs that will emerge in conjunction
connections to transit, and more frequent transit. with the new transportation technologies being piloted, We will provide residents of public housting, who are in
including electric and automated/connected vehicles. the process of receiving free Google Fiber service, with
2. Access to CommUnityCare Clinics With specific groups of Austin Community College (ACC) training on how to use online transportation options and
In 2014, nearly 100,000 uninsured/low-income patients students, we will pilot new online transportation options, tools; in order to help them travel to work, school, job
needed to travel to more than 350,000 appointments at tools, and personal training that make more convenient training, healthcare visits, etc. Communities near a Smart
over 20 CommUnityCare locations (the Federally Quali- and affordable to get to class and stay in school. Station will also receive training and support to use those
fied Health Centers system serving Travis County). We will packaged mobility services. We will provide personalized
pilot new Connected Traveler/Packaged Mobility options ACC is the primary provider of workforce training in Cen- Smart Trips planning to adults, on how to take regular
and tools that help patients travel more conveniently to tral Texas. To prepare Central Texans who are interested daily trips by transit, walking, and by bicycle.
the clinic locations – without needing to drive alone. in a vocational career or to begin their college studies,
the College works closely with area employers to identify The Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA) has
Austin is making a tremendous investment in new health- workforce gaps and pathways. been nationally recognized by the U.S. Department of
care facilities. Austinites voted to raise their property Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Obama
tax rate in 2014, increasing funding for Central Health The college is redeveloping the defunct Highland Mall administration for its exemplary digital inclusion program,
and the new Dell Medical School. In early 2016, Austin on Airport Boulevard — a corridor that has already been Unlocking the Connection. This HACA program in 2014
opened three new state-of-the-art public healthcare clin- studied for transportation improvements — into an inno- launched a first-in-the-nation program to help low-in-
ics. These projects were achieved with extensive com- vative learning campus that will likewise feature a mix of come public housing residents access basic broadband,
munity support, including participation and funding from uses and services. The campus is surrounded by largely digital literacy training, devices, and other essential pro-
nonprofits, agencies, and local philanthropic foundations. working-class neighborhoods, on the edge of tradition- grams and services through the internet.
City of Austin, Texas Page 10L I VE F ROM AUSTIN, TE XAS: The Smart City Challenge
Currently, HACA estimates that about 40% of its residents The Pflugerville Smart Station is our exurban/far subur- REMOVING THE I-35 BARRIER
have a working computer or smart phone. When Google ban/regional mobility hub model for USDOT, for an area Transportation and land planning can provide both access
Fiber selected Austin as their second U.S. city for high- that is a “transit desert.” It can include Capital Metro or and barriers. As with many other cities, parts of Austin,
speed home service, they became a key partner and have CARTS vans for residents to form vanpools with their particularly the Eastern Crescent, continue to suffer from
committed to providing free basic Internet for every HACA neighbors, and/or a private shuttle service (e.g. Bridj) past transportation decisions. Interstate Highway 35 was
household. In addition to using this capability to improve would connect residents to the Tech Ridge Park and Ride, built over 50 years ago and has been a physical, racial
youth educational outcomes and access to online learn- where commuters can catch transit to Downtown Austin. and economic dividing line in Austin. I-35 is more than an
ing and job training for adults, HACA is also working to ugly piece of transportation infrastructure; it is a cultural
help residents make more cost-effective, higher qual- Pflugerville needs new solutions: In a 2012 Citizen Sur-
and economic scar, dividing West Austin from East Austin,
ity transportation decisions through a “Transportation vey, only 31% of residents said their transportation needs
where past segregation efforts placed people of color. For
Self-Sufficiency” initiative. were being met, according to the city’s 2015 Master
many years, community leaders have hoped to eradicate
Transportation Plan.
this barrier to help people achieve equitable access to
Five HACA properties are anticipated to have Google Fiber 2. M Station and MLK Station Area Development healthcare, education and jobs.
installed by the end of 2016, and about 80% of the resi-
dents have registered for the service. Several other HACA The M Station apartment complex, developed by nonprofit
properties already have existing high-speed Internet Foundation Communities and serving residents at less
access. Once the Rundberg Smart Station is operational, than 50% of MFI is an anchor of the MLK MetroRail station
we can extend the pilot to the three HACA properties area. This concept looks at a transitional approach to pilot
nearby, where Google Fiber will be installed by 2017, and mobility solutions for M Station residents and other neigh-
to other properties as resources allow. bors in this traditionally disadvantaged part of East Austin,
allowing residents to live conveniently and affordably car-
Ladders of Opportunity Initiatives — Phase 2 free. Potential solutions include data-driven and app-based
carsharing, bikesharing, and ride-hailing services, as well
As new Smart Stations become operational, and as the as on-demand shuttles and future connected/automated
City plans for smart land use and new multimodal invest- vehicles.
ments, we will create new opportunities to diversify our
portfolio of Ladders of Opportunity Initiatives including: As is true across east Austin, housing costs have risen as
the area attracts new investment, homebuyers and devel-
1. Pflugerville Smart Station opments. The low-income African-American population,
The diverse residents of Pflugerville, especially those liv- historically the heart of the community, has dropped by
ing on the community’s less prosperous west side are about half. To create new affordable housing in the neigh-
car-dependent, as Pflugerville is not connected to the borhood, the MLK model includes new affordable rental
region’s transit system, too far from Austin for biking and housing by partner organizations (Foundation Communi-
walking trips into the urban core, and not well-served by ties, LifeWorks), new attainable homes (Chestnut Com-
Austin car-sharing and bike-sharing companies. As the mons, by Momark Development), and the preservation of
cost of living in Austin has gone up, more residents have homes and long-time residents through a partnership with
moved to Pflugerville, thus exacerbating the challenge Habitat for Humanity.
they face to get to jobs and services without good mobil- Source: AutoDesk InfraWorks
ity options.
City of Austin, Texas Page 11L I VE F ROM AUSTIN, TE XAS: The Smart City Challenge
The most recent effort to study I-35 began in 2008 with substantial bicycle and pedestrian commitment in the CONNECTED AND AUTOMATED VEHICLES
the My35 grassroots and stakeholder-driven award-win- form of a shared-use path on both sides of the roadway
ning planning effort. The My35 recommendation in 2011 and improved east-west connections for these modes at Connected and Automated vehicles will change the face
incorporated non-traditional mobility solutions and rec- every crossing. of transportation and mobility in the 21st century and
ommended further study. That same year, the City of beyond. Austin’s Smart City team is committed to safely
Austin started a study in partnership with TxDOT to look at The program is a 10-year capital upgrade to this 50-year deploying consumer-facing connected and automated
bottlenecks and other targeted interim improvement solu- old corridor that includes not just pavement but also a vehicle technologies to address significant safety and
tions for a focused area in the urban core. When Texas complete ITS overhaul and upgrade, addressing gaps in mobility challenges our city is facing, to impact environ-
began a $300 million statewide mobility planning initia- the camera and ITS monitoring systems and completing mental stewardship, and to provide access to transpor-
tive in 2013, the findings from the city’s study became the backbone of and ITS network. Recognizing this poten- tation options previously not available or not convenient.
the basis for what is the Mobility35 program today. tial, the Texas Transportation Commission recently allo-
cated $10M of its statewide Congestion Relief Initiative The rapid evolution and introduction of connected and
The traditional solution of adding multiple lanes for sin- for operations improvements in the Austin area. automated vehicle technology will feed a hungry ear-
gle-occupancy vehicles would have resulted in large- The Mobility35 program has continued the proactive ly-adopter community found in tech-friendly Austin. Our
scale right-of-way and community impacts, including sig- stakeholder-oriented approach. As part of this effort, for- citizens will embrace the opportunity to ride in self-driv-
nificant business and residential relocations and further mer Austin mayor and current State Senator Kirk Watson ing vehicles from the airport, experience life-saving safety
impacts to community assets including a major univer- led the I-35 Downtown Stakeholder Working group, which applications in their vehicles, and be first-in-the-nation to
sity, local churches, historic cemeteries, and other valued worked to recommend solutions regarding improvements beta test the newest mobility applications. But it’s more
assets. The grass-roots solution offered by Mobility35 is on I-35 as it passes through Downtown (roughly from than just satisfying the Millennials and their connected
a targeted increase of capacity within the existing right Lady Bird Lake to Martin Luther King Boulevard). This society as the norm. Austin envisions a future in which
of way, with dynamically tolled express lanes offering a effort considered alternative designs, including those automated vehicles also reach into underserved neigh-
reliable option for auto vehicles and a reliable route and developed in the community that would lower or depress borhoods to bring citizens to Smart Stations and connect
free use for bus transit and emergency vehicles. Both by the main lines of I-35 to reduce the physical barrier. them with the services and opportunities they desperately
necessity and community desire, Mobility35 includes a need, including transit, healthcare, education, and jobs.
Our approach to deployment of CV/AV technology recog-
nizes there are different solutions for different needs, and
we can leverage this technology to provide services that
various segments of the city need.
Austin will pilot a number of connected and automated
vehicle projects to serve a variety of end users:
• Job seekers – Citizens who need access to transit
options to bring them to interviews and places of employ-
ment during the workweek.
• Medical Access – Citizens who need convenient,
cost-effective transportation to medical appointments.
• First/Last mile commuters – Citizens who need options
to get to/from Smart Stations.
City of Austin, Texas Page 12L I VE F ROM AUSTIN, TE XAS: The Smart City Challenge
• Air travelers – Citizens and visitors who need interme- insurance can drive many to rely on the aforementioned • Smart Corridor – a six-mile stretch of a major arterial
diate connections to transit options at proposed Smart ineffective transit options, or to simply limit their sphere connector (Riverside Drive) that will serve as a labo-
Stations. of opportunity. Avoiding the purchase, and removing ratory for many Smart City pilot projects. A number
• Business professionals – Workers who need alterna- or reducing the other individual costs can potentially of safety, mobility, and environmental applications will
tives to driving their single-occupancy vehicle to and remove these barriers, and broaden available oppor- be considered; a number of approaches to connectivity
around downtown. tunities. and automation will be utilized (V2V, V2I, V2X); and a
• Education – Connected and automated vehicle tech- number of communication mediums will be employed
Deploying connected and automated vehicles to serve nology will require a specially trained workforce to (DSRC, 4G/LTE, WiFi).
these users will provide benefits and create opportunities: maintain and repair the vehicles that use it. With Austin • Automated Transit Vehicle – we will work with our
leading adoption of this technology, this will present partnering electric bus providers to develop and deploy
• Improved safety – According to the NHTSA National opportunities to base education and training operations a full-sized automated and connected transit bus.
Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey, approximately in the region, including vocational programs at Austin • Autonomous First/Last Mile Connectors – Will
94% of all automobile accidents are caused by human Community College, technology related degrees at radiate into surrounding neighborhoods to bring com-
error. Autonomous vehicles do not get tired, distracted, Huston-Tillotson University, and advanced engineering muters to Smart Stations, connecting them with other
or otherwise impaired; they make quicker and better programs at the University of Texas at Austin and Texas transit options and a variety of connected & automated
decisions; and they do not break the rules of the road. A&M University. transportation services.
Similarly, connected vehicle technologies are estimated • Economy/Jobs – The presence of this skilled work-
to be able to address over 80 percent of crashes. force could encourage companies to bring their busi- Austin understands that some of these connected and
• Improved mobility – Many available transit services in ness to Austin, where they can pull talent directly from automated vehicle demonstrations are technically diffi-
Austin do not sufficiently penetrate the neighborhoods these resources. At least one AV shuttle company we cult, equivalent to a moon shot, and may not be achiev-
that need them the most. Connected and automated have talked to has expressed an interest in building one able within the three years envisioned as part of the grant.
vehicles can reach areas of the community that are not of their “microfactories “ in or near Austin to manufac- However, we are committed to move the state-of-the-art
well served by other modes of transportation. This will ture their shuttles in a positive direction in terms of using existing and evolv-
connect people to the services and opportunities they ing connected and automated technologies in an open
need. By minimizing the lags due to driver reaction and The Austin team proposes to showcase these benefits in urban street environment. We believe that Austin is the
providing data for more efficient traffic operations, con- a number of real-world settings that directly improve the only place where new automated and connected technol-
nected and automated vehicles can improve mobility quality of life for those who live in Austin, those working in ogies can be deployed at scale in an effort to solve real
through reduced congestion. Austin, and those visiting Austin: and existing challenges.
• Improved productivity – The average Austinite
wasted over 50 additional travel hours sitting in con- • Automated Airport Circulator – Transporting arriving
gested traffic. With the car doing the driving, travelers passengers to a number of travel options near ABIA,
will be able to recoup this time to catch up on work or including the local Smart Station where other mobil-
simply unwind before arriving home – thus improving ity options will be present to assist them in continuing
health and family time. on to their ultimate destination. This will present auto-
• Lowered operational costs – Many current modes mated vehicle technology to a large audience, including
of transportation, including owning a personal vehi- the early adopters and innovators that are a crucial part
cle, can be cost-prohibitive. In addition to the purchase of the Austin culture, and help break down barriers by
price, recurring costs such as fuel, maintenance, and increasing access to other mobility opportunities.
City of Austin, Texas Page 13You can also read
