7 'Smart Cities Challenge' Proposals

The Washington Post details each of the seven proposals competing for $40 million in the U.S. Department of Transportation's Smart Cities Challenge.

1 minute read

June 14, 2016, 1:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Public Wi-Fi

Emilio Labrador / Flickr

An article by Michael Laris, with illustrations by Nick Slater, previews the proposals by the seven cities competing in the U.S. Department of Transportation's Smart Cities Challenge.

The article breaks down each of the seven proposals on the following criteria: the problem, "by the numbers," the idea, and "how?".

So, for instance, Kansas City is faced with the problem of neighborhoods isolated "by geography and an information void." The idea is to "[e]xpand an ambitious but limited tech blitz surrounding a just-opened streetcar line to include struggling neighborhoods" by expanding advanced technologies like free wi-fi and public internet kiosks along an eight-mile bus line on Prospect Avenue.

Other cities competing in the competition include San Francisco, Austin, Columbus, Portland, Pittsburgh, and Denver. 

Thursday, June 9, 2016 in The Washington Post

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

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