CONNECTING AND TRANSFORMING THE FUTURE OF TRANSPORTATION

Susan ZielinskiManaging Director, SMART,

University of Michigan

- Government, Business & NGO & academic partners- Ford a founding & ongoing partner (Human Rights Code)- SMART – Labs then research then education - Aims: user accessibility, operator supports, economic opportunity- Foundations & Gov: NSF, Mott, FIA, EPA, FHWA

LEARNING LABS/ PILOTS FOR THE NEXT INFRASTRUCTUREBuilding from Bremen Germany Model – Michael Glotz-RichterIndiaChennai, Cochin, Bangalore, Delhi

South Africa – Cape Town

US – Michigan (Connect & Prosper, TTRCC), LA region, Ann Arbor, DC, Atlanta, Portland, Seattle, Honolulu)

Brazil – Confederation of Municipalities

Europe – Lisbon & Cascais, Portugal; Warsaw, Poland

MY MASOCHISTIC CAREER PLAN:

- move to belly of beast- work on sustainable transportation

What I learned: Until recently, Transportation IS CarsEverything else is “Alternative”

(i.e. for those who can’t afford cars & why would we care about them anyway?)

Talking about “Alternative” transportation is a bit like saying

women are alternative men

RATHER,What we’re seeing is a SOPHISTICATED

EVOLUTION

… as Thomas Friedman might say …TRANSPORTATION IS FLAT

OPEN SOURCE, MULTI-MODAL, MULTI-SERVICE, IT ENHANCED USER FOCUSED, SOCIALLY EQUITABLE, AESTHETIC LIVABLE WHOLE SYSTEMS TRANSPORTATION

TRANSLATION: More Choices; More Connected Choices (New Mobility)

EMERGING GLOBAL NEW MOBILITY INDUSTRY TO SUPPLY ITThe current value of New Mobility markets can be measured in the billions of dollars.”Building a New Mobility Industry Cluster in the the Toronto Region” (MTE & ICF)

http://www.veolia-transport.com/en/medias/focus/digital-file.htm

What might it look and feel like?

VEOLIA’s Jules & Julie

People Act When They Have Opportunities to Act(as long as it’s easier than watching TV)

CONTEXT: URBANIZATION

From 50% - 2/3 by 2025; 81% in US; 90 % world economyComing years: At least 35 cities more than 10 million

RESULT:Almost all transport has at least an urban component

OTHER DRIVERS

modes

ZIPCAR: Wheels When You Need Them

FRACTIONAL USE: AUTO RICKSHAWS, TAXIS & COMMUNAL CABS, INTERMEDIATE VEHICLES, CARSHARE, BIKE SHARE

services

technology

infrastructure

Autos, Car-Share, Bikes…

design

products

moving peoplemoving peoplemoving goodsmoving goodsmoving less moving less

systems of systems

CONNECTIVITY/OPTIMIZATION IS THE NEW BLACK

(silver bullet)

In ecological terms, it should come as no revelation that as cities grow and become more complex and diverse, they begin to create more efficiencies. Ecosystems grow from simple systems with a few pioneering species to more mature ecosystems with diversity and interconnection. Thus, after a fire or flood, or some other disturbance, a cleared piece of land will begin developing the structure of its ecosystem with an emphasis on rapid simple growth. After a period it becomes more diverse and more efficient as it establishes a more complex network of interactions

Peter Newman

A heart? A lung? Pituitary gland? Your choice

What is better? What is the silver bullet?

I only use my heart I’m too rich and powerful to use my capillaries

THE MANY FACES OF CONNECTIVITY / OPTIMIZATION

• spatial / physical / modal

• service

• technological

• economic (open source)

• institutional & policy (public private innovation)

• cultural / psychological (range of benefits)

NEW MOBILITY GRID / NEXT INFRASTRUCTURE

Connects Mode Service Product Technology Design

Door to Door (feeds trunk, focused on user)

Scalable / incremental / all yeses / induces demand

For all shapes & sizes of communities & regions

Short term / long term (not land use / policy dependent)

Sexy (design) & Safe & Equitable

Resilient & Robust (Katrina / 911)

Business, Innovation, Job Opportunities

Multi-amenity hub Simple hub

Unanticipated CoBenefits

FOUR STEPS -- LIVING LAB APPROACH

1. CONVENING – The Crucial & Often Under-Rated First Step2. MAPPING – An Engaging and Tangible Catalyst for Action3. PILOTING & ROLL-OUT – Start with Hologram for Wider Spread Roll-Out4. MOVING MINDS – Speak a new language (Rumi, Philip K.Dick)5. (NETWORK with other living labs – April summit, virtually)

Traditional Transportation Meetings

Attendees: Usual Suspects

NEXT GEN Meetings: Positive, Public Private Innovation

0:00 1:40 1:50 2:00

Agenda: What Sucks (and sometimes why)

Solutions Laundry ListQuick attempts at prioritization

Adjourn

MAPPING

(a big breakthrough)

Ann Arbor survey:- most people asked for what’s already there

MAPPING THE INDUSTRY OPPORTUITIES

Some Companies Leading the Way on IT / New Mobility Mix

• Ashok Leyland• Cisco Systems

•Faurecia• Ford

• Google• IBM

• Infosys • Inrix

• Mapunity• Microsoft• Qualcom• Siemens

• Velankani•Veolia

• and more…

Public Private Innovation

Increase travel speed for all vehicles: 30%Shift from private to public transportation: 20%

Example: LB Road, Chennai

PILOTING /

LEARNING LABChennai & Cochin

Moving Minds

Did Philip K. Dick predict or shape the future?

3- year pilot underway

L.A.

NEW ROLES

PUBLIC SECTOR – incentives to connectivity / systems convening beyond the usual gov. players / implementing

PRIVATE SECTOR – public private innovation, new products, marketing New Mobility culture

ACADEME – new models based on real world contexts, understanding & advancing solutions (not just problems)

NGO’s – informing / new approaches, partnering, engaging constituencies / implementing

INVITATION / SHAMELESS PLUG

Transforming Transportation: Economies & Communities

Book Cadillac, Detroit

April 7 – 9, 2011

SMART Connections:

• um-smart.org or email me susanz@umich.edu

• new blog – um-smart.org/blog

• Connect and Prosper in Michigan

• international summit in Detroit April 7 -9, 2011

• primer (thanks to FIA Foundation!)

• learning labs (in pilot cities)

• business network

• research collaborative

• global learning community

DISCUSSION