DOT Secretary Foxx Visits Three “ Smart Cities ”
Volume 4
DOT Secretary Foxx Visits Three “ Smart Cities ”
May 2016 Edition
Austin Mayor Steve Adler , third from right , is shown in Copenhagen with U . S . Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx , center , and other officials visiting Denmark as part of the Smart City Challenge . Portland Mayor Charlie Hales is second from right , with Copenhagen Lord Mayor Frank Jensen on the far right .
( Photo courtesy of U . S . Department of Transportation ) U . S . Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx last week concluded a multi-day visit to Copenhagen , Denmark ; Amsterdam , The Netherlands ; and Oslo , Norway , as part of an ongoing effort to learn from international partners about innovative ways to meet the transportation challenges of the future . Copenhagen , Amsterdam , and Oslo are considered some of the smartest cities in the world . They face many of the same challenges as cities in the United States , including : rapid growth , urbanization , congestion , climate change , increased freight traffic , and risks to pedestrian and bike safety . In addition to meeting with government leaders , Secretary Foxx engaged in a series of discussions and meetings with city officials , architects , and planners about their efforts to meet these challenges with creative and multi-modal solutions . “ We moved safely through these cities the way so many residents routinely do – on a bike – and we looked at how data and technology are shaping transportation systems for the better ,” said U . S . Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx . “ I ’ m excited to put these ideas into practice , and continue the conversation in the United States about making our neighborhoods more inclusive and multi-modal , and to improve access to economic opportunity .” Secretary Foxx was joined by Mayor Steve Adler of Austin , TX ; Mayor Charlie Hales of Portland , OR ; and Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend , IN . These three mayors are part of the Mayors ’ Challenge for Safer People , Safer Streets , an initiative launched by Secretary Foxx in 2014 , which allows the U . S . DOT to partner with mayors to make biking and walking safer in cities . Mayors Adler and Hales are also finalists in the Smart City Challenge , which aims to help define what it means to be an American “ Smart City ,” and lead the country in planning for the challenges of the future , as determined by U . S . DOT ’ s Beyond Traffic study . The mayors participated in panels and conversations with experts and thinkers about their experiences as city leaders , and how they can make incremental changes to improve the lives of their constituents .
“ Imagining the possibilities is as vital to transforming urban mobility as technological innovations or building new infrastructure ,” said Austin Mayor Steve Adler . “ If we believe that it is better to use bus lines , bike paths , and boulevards to more closely connect everyone than to divide entire communities , first we must see that it is possible . The cities we visited with Secretary Foxx showed us what is possible , and we are eager to incorporate these ideas into a future for American cities that provides ladders of opportunity for everyone .” “ Cities are the locus of innovation ; that ’ s clear in Copenhagen , Amsterdam and Oslo ,” said Portland Mayor Charlie Hales . “ It was an honor to travel with Secretary Foxx and learn about 34