WeareSmart,Columbus

Challengeaccepted

As the winner of the U.S. Department of Transportation's (USDOT) first-ever Smart City Challenge, Columbus was awarded $50 million in grant funding and the designation as America's Smart City. We're "becoming smart" by embracing the reinvention of transportation to accelerate human progress. And with it, taking on the coveted job of teaching cities as they evolve similarly around the world.

Columbus received a total of $50 million in the form of two grants: $40 million from the USDOT and $10 million from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. These dollars provide the seed funding for Smart Columbus—a region-wide Smart City initiative co-led by the City of Columbus and the Columbus Partnership.

OURCHANCETOLEARN,LEADANDGROW

We have a vision

We have a vision that starts with the reinvention of mobility, which will lead us to a future beyond what anyone has yet imagined.

Our Mission

To accelerate human progress through open mobility

Our Vision

To be the model for connected cities of the future

Our Purpose

We are leading Columbus to the future and ensuring your place in it

Our Goals

  • Drive economic growth
  • Improve people's quality of life
  • Foster sustainability
  • Improve safety

 

OurFutureisSmart

Over the coming years, Smart Columbus will focus on three strategic pillars of activity and investment:

1. OUR FOUNDATION

BUILDING BLOCKS FOR OUR FUTURE

Our new mobility ecosystem depends on getting the building blocks right. Smart Columbus will lay the foundation by developing a holistic, open and integrated operating system, implementing a modernized electric grid powered by renewables, establishing a regional network of electric vehicle chargers, and making the right investments to prepare for a state-of-the-art, connected vehicle environment.

Projects: Smart Columbus Operating SystemCharging StationsConnected Vehicle Environment

2. TECHNOLOGY TRIALS

TEST, LEARN, ITERATE

As the ultimate test bed, Columbus was chosen to model how new technologies work in a real city, with real people, solving real problems. We will open up our streets to innovation. Conducting demonstrations will be our new way of attacking challenges - testing with you, not on you. Collecting user input and feedback every step of the way will validate the data collection process. When we fail, we'll fail fast. When we succeed, we'll scale.

Projects: Smart Mobility HubsPrenatal Trip Assistance, Self-Driving Shuttles

3. OUR NEW WAY OF LIFE

EMBRACE THE CHANGE

Smart Columbus will help shift travel patterns. Even more, we want to shift people's thought patterns and behavior. This means inspiring policy makers and influencing people's preferences. We will partner with others to create programs, introduce new solutions and promote adoption. Once our city understands what's possible, everybody should be able to get on board.

This will be a gradual process over the coming decade. As a region with urban sprawl, we are committing to a new, improved ecosystem of solutions to move people and goods.

It won't work without you.

Projects: Consumer Electric Vehicle Adoption, Acceleration Partners ProgramExpansion and Adoption of Multimodal Transit

Whoweare

It takes a lot of energy to reinvent mobility. Even more to shift people's thoughts and behavior. Get to know the people paving the way.

Helppowerthefuture.

Want to support Smart Columbus? We're looking for volunteers who are as committed and passionate as we are about our city's future.