Columbus, Ohio, is the winner of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DoT) Smart City Challenge and will receive $140 million in new investment to further its initiative.
The breakdown is as follows: $40 million Smart City Challenge DoT prize, $10 million from Vulcan, plus an additional $90 million from local business coalitions.
Beating out six other finalists, Columbus’ proposed plan is comprised of five strategies, all focused on the foundation of building a beautiful, healthy, and prosperous city:
- Access to jobs.
- Smart logistics.
- Connected citizens.
- Connected visitors.
- Sustainable transportation.
The plan specifically highlights innovative solutions from implementing smart corridors and electric vehicles to deploying real-time traffic and routing apps for citizens and freight, respectively. The plan also addresses all 12 vision elements found in DoT’s definition of a Smart City:
- Urban automation.
- Connected vehicles.
- Intelligent, sensor-based infrastructure.
- Urban analytics.
- User-focused mobility services and choices.
- Urban delivery and logistics.
- Strategic business models and partnering opportunities.
- Smart Grid, roadway electrification, and electric vehicles.
- Connected, involved citizens.
- Architecture and standards.
- Low cost, efficient, secure, and resilient ICT.
- Smart land use.
The U.S. DoT Smart City Challenge was announced in December 2015 to help further one city’s transportation network through the use of technological innovation. The other six finalists were: Portland, Ore.; San Francisco; Denver; Kansas City, Mo.; Austin; and Pittsburgh.
