Category Archives: Big Ideas

BLOG: Read Mayor Adler’s thoughts on the issues of the day.

Racing to the finish line in the Smart City Challenge

congress-blog
April 18, 2016
By Mayor Steve Adler

At first glance, a federal grant about technological innovations for mobility might not have much to do with racial equality in Austin, Texas. After all, Austin is one of seven finalists for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Smart City Challenge, a $50-million competition to use technology to make mobility safer, cheaper, cleaner, and more effective for everyone – not just some. But as much as winning the Smart City Challenge would help Austin with mobility, it would also have a transformative impact on entire communities in my city that have never equally shared in our prosperity. Continue reading →

10th Annual Louis Gregory Symposium on Race Unity keynote

HTU Race-Unity Symposium Keynote

Wednesday, April 13, 1:30pm

 

Louis-Gregory-Symposium-on-Race-UnityThank you to Dr. Michael Hirsch of Huston-Tillotson University.

Thank you to President Collette Pierce Burnette, who seems to be settling into the job quite well and making her formidable presence felt in this city.

It is an honor to deliver the keynote at the Tenth Annual Louis Gregory Symposium on Race Unity.

But it is a daunting honor. The theme I was given was quote – building and/or creating race unity in Austin – unquote.

I was further asked – again, I’m quoting from the instructions I was given by Dr. Hirsch, who must really think the Office of the Mayor is imbued with unheard of powers – to lay out how Austin can – quote — “overcome racial prejudice, discrimination, and conflict and build a more powerful and inclusive city that heals wounds and looks forward to accomplishing Louis Gregory’s vision of race amity and race unity.”

Endquote. Continue reading →

#DOTSmartCity update for April 12

Ce-oRgkUMAAS4I-“ATX Mayor meets with US DOT over Smart City Plan“
By Rudy Koski, Fox 7 News
http://www.fox7austin.com/news/local-news/121106310-story

A delegation with the U.S. Department of Transportation met Monday with Austin’s mayor and city mobility planners. The meeting was part of a competition for a $50 million grant to become a new federal innovation center.

The Austin proposal essentially is a pitch to be a transportation idea lab for Uncle Sam. 5 areas for innovation include: Continue reading →

Mayor Adler to DOT delegation: Austin moving ahead, no matter what

“Simply put, mobility is a life or death issue for Austin.” -Mayor Adler

Today Mayor Adler and officials from the Austin Transportation Department previewed their presentation to the delegation from the U.S. Department of Transportation that is in Austin for the Smart City Challenge. In his remarks, Mayor Alder promised to move ahead with the technological transformation of Austin’s mobility regardless of the outcome of the Smart City Challenge because doing so, he said, could create “an economic boom that lifted up the people who are usually left behind.”

Mayor Adler, along with ATD Director Rob Spillar and ATD Chief of Staff Karla Taylor, made the case that Austin, one of seven finalists for the $50 million competition to use technology to make mobility safer, cheaper, cleaner, and more effective for everyone, was the best choice for the Smart City Challenge.

“No city needs this more, and no city is better situated to take advantage of all the Smart City Challenge offers on mobility. What we can accomplish with mobility technology can provide ladders of opportunity for everyone in Austin as well as greater mobility for everyone in the country. You don’t get opportunities like this all the time, and we are going all out to win it,” said Mayor Adler. Continue reading →