Transportation

City of Pittsburgh To Participate in Second Cohort of Smart Cities Collaborative Program

2018 Smart Cities Collaborative poster
Courtesy of Transportation for America

PITTSBURGH, PA (April 5, 2018) The City of Pittsburgh is proud to announce it has been selected by Transportation for America (T4America) as one of 22 communities chosen to participate in the second cohort of their Smart Cities Collaborative program. In its second year, the Collaborative will again bring together cities to collaborate on the challenges related to implementing smart mobility policies and projects, and help the City of Pittsburgh explore how emerging technologies and new mobility options can improve urban transportation.

Over the course of the year, Pittsburgh will join other communities in the Smart Cities Collaborative program to tackle how emerging technologies and new mobility options are reshaping the use of the right-of-way and curb space and to ensure people and goods keep moving through Pittsburgh safely and efficiently.

“The Department of Mobility and Infrastructure supports both mobility across our city and social and economic mobility by connecting people to new opportunities.” Said, Director Karina Ricks.  “A strategic approach to Smart City technology helps us do that work safer, more efficiently, more sustainably, and more equitable”.

“Whether electric scooters, new dockless bike-sharing systems, curbside delivery, or ride-sourcing services, the pace of innovation is accelerating, and these technologies and new mobility options are already on our streets and having a tangible impact in our communities,” said Russ Brooks, T4America’s Director of Smart Cities. “Pittsburgh  and our other participating cities are eager to work together and cooperate, not only to bring these new technologies to their communities, but also to ensure that they are directed toward solving their most pressing transportation challenges and helping them become more efficient, safe, and equitable places to live and work.”

This year’s cohort will focus on how emerging technologies and new mobility options are reshaping the right-of-way and curb space and changing the way we move through our communities.

“From the gold standard partnership between the City and our research universities to our selection as a finalist in the USDOT Smart City Challenge, Pittsburgh has been a leader in leveraging technology to solve real challenges in our communities.  We’re grateful for the opportunity to share with and learn from our cohort partners to build a Smarter City,” said Mayor William Peduto.

The City of Pittsburgh was selected from a group of 50 cities that applied to be a part of the Collaborative this year. The inaugural cohort of cities tackled challenges related to automated vehicles, shared mobility and how to use data to manage complex transportation networks.

The Collaborative will hold its first meeting in Denver on April 16-17. Throughout the year Pittsburgh will participate in a variety of interactive workshops, both with the other cities and with industry-leading transportation experts. From there, the participants will receive direct technical assistance and share the results of their projects with the rest of the Collaborative to drive best practices across the country.

The full list of 22 communities participating in the Collaborative in 2018 are:

Atlanta, GA
Austin, TX
Boulder, CO
Centennial, CO
Gainesville, FL
Houston, TX
Indianapolis, IN
Los Angeles, CA,
Madison, WI
Miami-Dade, FL
Minneapolis, MN
New York, NY
Pittsburgh, PA
Portland, OR
San Diego, CA
San Francisco, CA
San Jose, CA
Santa Monica, CA
Seattle, WA
Toronto, ON
Washington, DC
West Sacramento, CA

ABOUT TRANSPORTATION FOR AMERICA  

Transportation for America is an alliance of elected, business and civic leaders from communities across the country, united to ensure that states and the federal government step up to invest in smart, homegrown, locally-driven transportation solutions — because these are the investments that hold the key to our future economic prosperity. Learn more at t4america.org. T4America is a program of Smart Growth America.

City of Pittsburgh Media Contact

Keyva Clark

Communication Analyst

Mayor’s Office

412-925-1990

keyva.clark@pittsburghpa.gov

 

T4America Contact

smartcities@t4america.org

Link to T4A Press Release