The US Department of Transport (DoT) is to award up to $40m to a mid-sized city that puts forward data-driven ideas to improve the lives of its inhabitants by making transportation "safer, easier, and more reliable".
The aim is to create a new, integrated city that uses data, technology and creativity to shape how people and goods move in the future.
We encourage cities to develop their own unique vision, partnerships and blueprints to demonstrate to the world what a fully integrated, forward-looking transportation network looks like– Transportation secretary Anthony Foxx
The nationwide Smart City Challenge also hopes to highlight the role of public-private partnerships in addressing transport challenges.
As well as the $40m prize, the DoT will partner with American firm Vulcan, which is offering an additional $10m to support infrastructure for electric vehicles.
The winning city should create ideas designed to address or enhance community needs, increase safety, reduce carbon emissions and enhance mobility.
The competition winner should allow vehicles and infrastructure to communicate with each other, allow for active citizen participation and integrate new concepts for sharing transport.
Cities are encouraged to come up with the solutions that best fit their own needs and not a one-size-fits-all solution.
Transportation secretary Anthony Foxx said: "We encourage cities to develop their own unique vision, partnerships and blueprints to demonstrate to the world what a fully integrated, forward-looking transportation network looks like.
"America can remain the global leader in maintaining the safest, most efficient system in the world: I am looking for mayors who share that belief to join us in pushing the boundaries of what is possible."
A medium-sized city is described as one having a "population between 200,000 and 850,000 people".
Read the challenge guidelines here.
The first round of applications will close on 4 February.
Image via the Department of Transport
