The recently published StoryMap—the product of a region-wide, cross-sector collaboration—exemplifies Denver South’s approach to both long-term transportation planning and tackling community scale challenges through innovation and partnership.
Denver South is a region defined by unsurpassed transportation infrastructure. From major roadways like I-25 and E-470, to light rail connectivity with downtown Denver and Denver International Airport, to the second busiest corporate jet airport in the country, Centennial Airport; our region’s connectivity to the world is second-to-none.
Leaders in Denver South, however, know the future of mobility is far more than just asphalt and steel rail. It also includes a host of new and emerging technologies that will lead us to a transportation future that is increasingly ACES: Autonomous, Connected, Electric, and Shared.
With this advanced mobility future rapidly upon us, Denver South is proud to announce its first public work product resulting from an impressive months-long collaboration of cross-sector partners, called the Mobility Evolution Initiative (MEI.) The MEI project team—consisting of leaders from private sector companies, public jurisdictions, academic institutions and nonprofits—is aimed at establishing a data driven approach to investing in advanced mobility technologies.
Contributors—including the technical staff of Denver South’s member jurisdictions, the Colorado Smart Cities Alliance, locally-based engineering firm AECOM, and a team of researchers from the University of Denver—produced the now publicly available Mobility Evolution Initiative StoryMap.
This unique visualization is a living document that summarizes the overall process, methodology, existing conditions, toolbox, and data analysis that underpins the region’s collective mobility planning process. It provides the data to make informed decisions about the future of mobility throughout the region, and it provides the tools to evaluate innovative technologies, projects, and partnerships that can benefit commuters and residents alike.
The project is also indicative of the way stakeholders in Denver South work across sectors and jurisdictional boundaries, supported by cutting edge data collection and visualization, to tackle complex challenges at the confluence of mobility and technology. The StoryMap, with links to a wealth of valuable insights in the form of maps and data sets, has informed a completely novel methodology for evaluating which autonomous, connected, electric and shared mobility technologies have the greatest potential to benefit the region.
This living document will be updated regularly as land-use conditions and other factors change in Denver South’s built environment. Next phases for the project include development of a toolkit for participating jurisdictions to assist in implementation planning for specific advanced mobility projects.
Stay tuned to www.denver-south.com for more project announcements, and visit Denver South’s NEW data center at https://denver-south.com/data-center/.
