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Grand Rapids joins challenge to become City of Tomorrow

Posted at 2:19 PM, Jun 27, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-27 14:19:23-04

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The city wants you to help Grand Rapids become the City of Tomorrow.

The City of Grand Rapids, along with Ford, AT&T, Dell, Microsoft, PlanetM and The Right Place launched the Grand Rapids City of Tomorrow Challenge Wednesday.  The program has $100,000 in funding that will be awarded for top proposals to improve mobility in cities.

The program seeks ideas to reduce traffic congestion and lower wait times for public transportation.  According to the American Public Transportation Association, the use of public transportation in Grand Rapids has been dropping and population keeps growing with many families having two or more vehicles.

“As our city grows, we want to ensure we are working with our community to make getting around Grand Rapids easier,” said Mayor Rosalynn Bliss in a press release.  “We believe Grand Rapids is a place where innovative ideas can improve mobility in our city.”

During the eight-month program, people can learn more about mobility and also submit ideas and their experiences.  Participants can begin submitting ideas for new mobility solutions the week of July 23.

Grand Rapids is the third city to go through the City of Tomorrow program. Pittsburgh and Miami-Dade County joined the program earlier this month.