Ford Launches City of Tomorrow Challenge in Grand Rapids

Ford's third City of Tomorrow Challenge begins this month in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The initiative takes the form of "a pitch-off for community-sourced ideas" to improve mobility and congestion in the city, Timothy Seppala explains in Engadget.

Residents shouldn't expect a resurrected streetcar network in the city, but bike-sharing kiosks, more bike lanes and wider sidewalks are probably safe bets ... The Challenge [will also] accept ideas that use infrastructure and transportation data to enable "smart transportation choices."

The winning two teams will receive $100,000 to pilot their ideas, with funding provided by companies including AT&T, Dell, and Microsoft, as well as the Michigan Economic Development Corporation's PlanetM mobility initiative.

The challenge's launch comes shortly after Ford announced that it would create an innovation hub at the Michigan Central Station in Detroit. The company has also launched City of Tomorrow initiatives in Miami and Pittsburgh.