Atlanta Urbanite Mobility Challenge (US)

The Atlanta Challenge is an 18+ month, 5-step process that starts with community engagement and ends with selected mobility pilots funded and launched in Atlanta neighborhoods.

They launched this initiative to transform cities by helping solve mobility problems via the inclusion of community input. Their framework zooms down to one person, one solution at a time to provide an intimate view of a city’s needs and how they may be addressed with new innovative solutions.

Focus Areas

• The following opportunity areas were chosen in collaboration with Atlanta residents. In those discussions, they learned what solutions they may want to see and engage in their community.
  • Accessing neighborhood resources
    • Residents are looking for easy and affordable mobility solutions to access neighborhood and community resources.
    • Neighborhood destinations can be anything from: a local church that doubles as a community center, to a neighborhood park, to the corner-store for basic groceries.
  • Safety and comfort when walking, waiting for transit
    • Residents are frustrated by the unsafe and uncomfortable feelings when walking to, and waiting for, public transit.
    • Residents often encounter problems throughout their journeys to and from transit hubs and other walking destinations including: unlit sidewalks and streets, exposure to the elements while waiting for transit, and threat against personal safety.
  • Increasing job access
    • Residents are looking for consistent, reliable, affordable and safe options to get to/from their jobs and are not currently satisfied by their primary two options: personal car ownership or MARTA transit.
    • Particularly important for those residents making under a livable Atlanta wage, their lack of reliable mobility options to work is forcing many to consider living in compromised living conditions or make other compromises to their time and families.
  • Connecting to hot spots
    • As Atlanta continues to grow, develop and change, there are new ‘hot spot’ destinations that residents would like to access for everyday needs trips (e.g., grocery, health and wellness) and joyful trips (e.g., entertainment, dining).

Funding Information

• When you submit a proposal, you can earn up to $150,000 in pilot funding and additional mentorship during the Pilot process of this Challenge.

Types Of Potential Solutions

• Accessing Neighborhood Resources
  • Electric, neighborhood circulators and shuttles
  • Car rentals and other car-sharing programs
  • Micro-mobility services: scooters, bikeshare, etc.
  • Community micro-funds to allocate neighbors own dollars to support neighborhood solutions and services
• Safety & Comfort When Walking, Waiting for Transit
  • Personal lighting solutions to be used while walking/running
  • Safety and lighting devices (and wayfinding signage) integrated into existing infrastructure
  • Mobile, easy-to-carry seating and other accessibility support solutions
• Increasing Jobs Access
  • Vanpool services amongst coworkers / neighbors
  • Crowdsourcing ride requests
  • Localized car-sharing services amongst neighbors
  • Data collection method for carpooling via directionality of travel
• Connecting to Hot-Spots
  • Electric shuttles going to crowdsourced destinations
  • Carpooling services that “activate” when a critical mass of riders choose a specific time/date of service
  • Kick-starter for rides.

For more information, visit Partnership for Southern Equity.