Los Angeles will soon have an ‘innovation zone’ for testing mobility products
Model zone
“Transportation and technology each have the ability to connect communities, create jobs, and contribute to progress on sustainability, equity, and economic growth — and Los Angeles takes pride in serving as a testing ground for dynamic and innovative mobility solutions,” said Mayor Garcetti.
“The first-ever Transportation Technology Innovation Zone will unite local businesses, workers, and inventors around how to revolutionize mobility in the West Valley, and it will serve as a model for what’s possible as more zones come online in areas across Los Angeles.”
In May, the UML issued aRequest for Information(RFI) to understand the market for products and services after it had conducted local interviews, hosted workshops, and completed qualitative, quantitative research in the area.
A second pilot project, set to launch in the spring, will create mini-mobility hubs throughout the neighborhood.
UML’s newly appointed board includes experts from the mobility innovation industry, including Ashley Hand, Co-Founder ofCityfi; Justine Johnson, Mobility Strategist atFord Smart Mobility; and Veronica Siranosian, Vice President atAECOM Ventures.
Open Mobility Foundation
Lilly Shoup, Interim Executive Director of Urban Movement Labs, said: “With initiatives like the UML, which accelerates transportation solutions, and the Open Mobility Foundation, which gives policymakers the digital tools they need to govern emerging mobility, Mayor Garcetti and LADOT are leading the conversation on how to embed equity, sustainability, and accessibility into our urban mobility future.”
Launched in 2019, theOpen Mobility Foundationbrought together private sector firms (including Bird, Spin, and Microsoft) and non-profits likeThe Rockefeller FoundationandMetrolab Network, with LA and 14 other US cities to bridge the gap between data and mobility.
Through theMobility Data Specification(MDS) – a data-sharing standard that facilitates the exchange of anonymized data between transport operators and municipal transport departments – cities gained more oversight of the use of micromobility in their cities, and insight to inform future planning. The MDS was initially developed by LA and has since been adopted by many other cities through the Open Mobility Foundation.
The initiative was not without its detractors, however, which led to alengthy legal battlebetween LA and Uber.
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Story byCities Today
Cities Today is the leading news platform on urban mobility and innovation, reaching an international audience of city leaders.Cities Today is the leading news platform on urban mobility and innovation, reaching an international audience of city leaders.
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