Title


Neighborhood Mobility Hub

AUSTIN , TX

Contact

PROJECT LEAD

Junfeng Jiao

SERVICE INFO

THE IDEA

The Austin team implemented SmartHub, a neighborhood-focused multimodal mobility hub to address a transit desert and location-based transit access issues.

THE CHALLENGE

Because of existing transit deserts and an increasingly competitive housing market, Austin residents face a challenge of connectivity. In order to afford the cost of living, more and more residents are forced to move away from downtown Austin and, therefore, move away from accessible transportation options or into transit deserts. In the Georgian Acres neighborhood specifically, residents face commute times 67% longer than the city average.


THE TEAM

Research Partners: The University of Texas - Austin

Civic Partners: Austin Transportation Department Jails to Jobs Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority Project Connect Movability

THE APPROACH

SmartHub aims to mitigate long commute times by adding a new option to a former transit desert, and provides a sustainable, scalable, and transferable approach that can help to solve the first-mile, last mile problem. With SmartHub, residents will have access to several models of transportation in one location, such as (e-)bikes, e-scooters, ride hailing, electric vehicle charging stations, and public transit.

THE IMPACT

  • Community co-creation: town hall meetings, interviews, and surveys.
  • Mode selection optimized based on community needs.
  • Site selection and development: including solar panel and WiFi.
  • SmartHub shuttle and staffing – ridership data collection.
  • SmartHub construction finished.
  • SmartHub soft launch.