The Mobility Collaborative is a think tank focused on creating mobility access for the next generation of communities. It was initially convened by Arlington County, Virginia, and is comprised of recognized national and international thought-leaders who offer informed perspectives on some major forces shaping 21st century metropolitan communities. The focus of the collaborative is on understanding how personal access and mobility will be part of the overall community experience.
The intention of the Mobility Collaborative is to contribute to the ongoing discussion about how to maintain mobility and access in increasingly populated metropolitan environments. It is a forum where experts in the areas of design, psychology, transportation, entertainment, civic engagement and others come together to discuss what the desirable communities of the future will look like and identify the practical action steps that can be taken now to make these communities a reality in the future. These are just some of the questions that the Mobility Collaborative seeks to discuss.
- Understanding the Metropolitan Areas of the Future:
- What will define desirable metropolitan communities of the future?
- What community characteristics will be most important in attracting and retaining residents in the future? How will this differ across future generations and various demographic/sociographic segments?
- What roles will healthcare, education, safety, entertainment, workforce training, etc. play in advancing an exceptional quality of life? How will personal access and mobility relate to these attributes?
- Identifying Actions Needed Today to Shape the Future:
- How can a community’s infrastructure, both in terms of design and ongoing services and education, help shape a community’s evolution? For example – how can residents be directed towards transit-oriented developments? How can government, business, and civic leaders best educate and influence behavioral change when it comes to transit-oriented living arrangements and/or car-free lifestyles? Will social media play an increasingly important role?
Mobility Collaborative Members
Participants in the Mobility Collaborative come from a variety of research areas including cityscape designs, psychology of the masses, hyper connectivity, mobile media, entertainment, governance and shared public resources. They bring their experience and perspective to the discussions. Currently, the following individuals are members of the Mobility Collaborative.
- David Berdish, Manager of Social Sustainability, Ford Motor Company
- Lori Diggins, Principal and Owner, LDA Consulting
- Dr. Norman W. Garrick, Associate Professor and Founding Director, University of Connecticut Center for Transportation and Urban Planning
- Bern Grush, Principle, Bern Grush Associates
- Chris Hamilton, Bureau Chief, Arlington County Department of Environmental Services Transportation Division
- Claude Lewenz, Author and Director, The Village Forum
- Dr. Timothy J. Lomax, Research Engineer, Texas A&M University
- John W. Martin, President & CEO, Southeastern Institute of Research and the Boomer Project
- Rick Smyre, President, Center for Communities of the Future
- William Vincent, Executive Director, Breakthrough Technologies Institute
- Chuck Wilsker, President & CEO, The Telework Coalition
- Philip L. Winters, TDM Program Director, Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of South Florida