WASHINGTON — Mayor Muriel Bowser, along with the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED), and the Southwest Business Improvement District (Southwest BID), launched DC's first-ever Mobility Innovation District (MID).
The project, which hopes to improve equitable access to transportation for residents and visitors in Southeast, will create a global innovation hub to show how mobility innovation can make a city more equitable, sustainable, safe, and prosperous.
A $3 million grant was provided to the Southwest BID by the DMPED in support of creating the MID.
“Through the activation of our beautiful waterfront, we have brought more jobs, opportunities, retail, restaurants, and entertainment to Southwest DC. In turn, that means more people coming to and through the community,” said Mayor Bowser.
The MID will attract mobility companies, bring new technology to market and create jobs in the District.
“By creating the Mobility Innovation District, we can reduce congestion, ensure more neighbors are benefiting from new opportunities, and build a greener, more sustainable DC."
Bowser introduced the Circuit, which is a micro-transit company that has earned a reputation for all-electric and on-demand transportation solutions. The Circuit was selected to create a new mobility service for residents and visitors that will circle the Southeast neighborhood.
The goal, through Circuit, is to reduce congestion and its harmful effects on the environment and our quality of life.
The Southwest BID announced new Requests for Proposals for projects focused on Universal Basic Mobility (UBM) and electrification.
“The Southwest is the perfect neighborhood to test and pilot new mobility ideas and technologies,” said Steve Moore, Executive Director of the SWBID. “The MID plants the seed for future-forward mobility solutions, new job training possibilities, and the attraction of new business."
In Mayor Bowser's FY 2023 budget, she invests in the following projects:
- $57M to complete the K Street Transitway, providing protected bus and bike lanes through downtown
- $102M over six years to continue a transformative plan to make bus transit faster and more reliable
- $15M over six years to continue expanding Capital Bikeshare so that every resident has a station within a quarter mile of their home
- $125M over six years for new or rehabilitated trails to improve connectivity to the regional trail network
- $18.5M for a new pedestrian and bicycle bridge to Kingman Island.
Mayor Bowser provided funding in Fiscal Year 2022 to two other districts focused on innovation and creativity: Pen West and Anacostia Arts and Culture District.
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