A community-first approach to deploying new mobility services

New technologies and tech-enabled services present us with a window of opportunity to rethink our transportation system, address inequality and build a new normal of mobility — one that is safer, more sustainable, and accessible to all, not just those who own a car and already have a multitude of choices. But to ensure this promise is met, we must focus on the way these new mobility innovations enter our communities so they do not exacerbate current disparities, but rather work toward creating more integrated, multimodal networks for everyone.

Doing so means city governments and their agencies must collaborate with private mobility service operators as well as the communities that will be impacted. We need co-creative processes of ongoing engagement in which innovations are deployed to solve both the community’s needs and add value to a city’s existing transportation ecosystem. We need to adopt a ‘community-first’ approach.