Congratulations to OMF members Columbus, Detroit, Denver, Los Angeles, Louisville, Miami-Dade, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Portland, San Francisco, San José, and Seattle for receiving funding for infrastructure projects through USDOT’s Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) grant program, which awarded $94 million in grants to 59 projects across 33 states through the first round of funding, announced today. Thanks to this grant, cities across the United States will have the funding needed to build data and technology capacity – a critical part of creating safer, more equitable, and environmentally sustainable transportation systems.
Eight of these cities (Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, and Miami-Dade County) were part of a collaborative effort coordinated by the Open Mobility Foundation (OMF), aimed at tackling a common problem with similar technologies – specifically to digitally gather and analyze curb information to reduce congestion, enhance livability, and improve safety and equity on city streets. The shared, open-source Curb Data Specification (CDS) – developed by the OMF – lies at the heart of this collaborative effort. We look forward to seeing USDOT’s investment in digital infrastructure help city officials and their communities better understand curb and sidewalk use and adjust planning and management to improve safety and reduce congestion.
Governed by cities, the OMF is a public-private partnership that brings together a diverse group of stakeholders to shape urban mobility management tools like CDS that help public agencies manage public space for the public good. We encourage cities working to modernize their infrastructure through the SMART grant program to join our community, and hope that this exciting news will help connect more cities to share learnings and leverage digital tools like CDS and MDS to accomplish their policy goals.
THE SMART GRANT COLLABORATIVE
Organized by the Open Mobility Foundation, this collective of OMF member cities, including Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Philadelphia and Miami-Dade County is committed to tackling a common problem with similar technologies – specifically to digitally gather and analyze curb information to reduce congestion, enhance livability, and improve safety and equity on city streets. The shared, open-source Curb Data Specification (CDS) lies at the heart of this collaborative effort. Through this collaboration and with the support of SMART grant funding, the OMF and its partners will continue to develop CDS, provide technical implementation assistance, and facilitate peer-to-peer learning and knowledge exchanges.
ABOUT CDS
CDS —“Curb Data Specification”—is a digital tool that helps cities and companies pilot and scale dynamic curb zones. CDS provides a mechanism for expressing static and dynamic regulations, measuring activity at the curb, and developing policies that create more accessible, useful curbs. Cities around the world recognize the need to develop a common curb data standard that gives them the tools and information to enact major curb management projects and support policy innovation. Businesses also recognize that digital curb tools drive efficiency for all.
As an open-source organization, the Open Mobility Foundation welcomes various Read more
If your agency is considering SMART grant projects around mobility Read more
Already more than two dozen cities and companies are adopting Read more