Page 26 - Mobility Management, March 2019

Technology Series
Smart Cities, Accessible Cities?
places like Arizona, and in environments that are contained or relatively simple, like campuses or retirement communities.”
The real-world landscapes in which these vehicles would operate are much more complex: crowded urban areas, deteriorating roadways, and areas that experience inclement weather. This is
a problem for any individual who uses this technology, but for wheelchair users who have less control over their environment,
the problem is much more acute. For example, Schoppman asked, “What happens when a driverless vehicle pulls up to whatever location the wheelchair-using passenger wishes to arrive at, and the door automatically opens, and the ramp or exit system deploys in front of a six-foot pile of snow that’s just been shoved there by the city cleanup crew? Is the vehicle going to be able to detect that?”
Both the technology and the infrastructure must be designed with accessibility in mind, which requires cooperation and communication among federal and local government agencies, stakeholders and organizations and individuals who have the expertise to know what does and does not work for wheelchair users and people with disabilities. As Schoppman said, “We have to have these conversations and consider these elements in advance if we’re really going to produce these life-changing outcomes that everyone talks about so often.”
These are the types of conversations that Jennifer Sanders is inter- ested in having to make things right for wheelchair users the first time. Sanders is the Executive Director and co-founder of the Dallas Innovation Alliance (DIA), a nonprofit, public-private partnership executing a smart city plan for Dallas. Currently, she is focused on implementing projects in South Dallas, but first the DIA needed to understand the unique equity and access challenges faced by those specific residents. “I’ve taken a year to a year and a half to make sure that I’ve met with community organizations and leaders, and I sat down and listened,” Sanders said. “I think so often people come in and say, ‘Congratulations! We’ve solved this problem for you!’, but no one has talked to the community and it’s not aligned with what they actually need. It’s based on a very distant perception. I think with any vulnerable population, listening first is critical.”
Dallas is no exception when it comes to problems of infrastruc- ture. Sanders pointed out that Dallas was not initially designed as a pedestrian city — a reality reflected in the city’s infrastructure. To tackle the challenges that an already inaccessible infrastructure presents, Sanders said, “We look first at what we have, what do we need and where is the data that allows us to make the decisions
of where those investments need to go in terms of getting existing infrastructure up to that kind of base layer? And then we look
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at the technology to make sure that it’s integrated in a way that makes sure that all populations are being served.”
Sanders explained, for instance, “If we’re taking into account that we know there are seven assisted living facilities within a certain three-mile radius, we need to make sure that services are heavily focused there.” Sometimes this includes adding a basic need, such as a sidewalk, before any advanced technology can be supported.
This is where bringing in the right people matters. Smart cities and smart technologies run on data collection to feed their algorithms that in turn tell developers how and where to make improvements to anything from watering systems to traffic flow. That’s why it is crucial that data collection does not come from homogeneous able-bodied groups — when that happens, technologies become better and smarter for some while becoming increasingly inaccessible for others.
Sanders offers the example of integrating smart traffic signals to mitigate traffic flow. “What is the need for?” she asked. “How do you have those algorithms also correspond with pedestrians? Because if you can shorten a signal time to help with traffic flow, that’s great for cars. But what if there’s pedestrians in the crosswalk? If you shorten a crosswalk timing, you leave that population at risk.”
Beyond considering pedestrians with no mobility challenges, the data would need to become even more granular and targeted to account for wheelchair users and other people who use mobility assistive devices. “From a mobility perspective, you have to look at the multi- modal impacts and all of those populations when you create new strat- egies and zoning policies — all of those elements,” Sanders explained.
What the CRT Industry Can Do
Despite all these criticisms, smart cities do hold a potential promise to remove accessibility barriers for people with disabilities, allowing them to participate more fully in the social and cultural life of their home cities. But the promise will remain only a potential until the needs and experiences of people with disabilities are prioritized in the design and development stage of smart cities. Fortunately, the CRT and mobility industries have much to offer at this stage.
In addition to NMEDA working on the federal government level, advocacy groups and nonprofit organizations heavily focused on
city planning around the country are making inroads in their local areas to make sure their voices are heard in both the civic and public sectors. Sanders recommended joining one of these local groups if possible because those groups provide a direct line of communication to city representation, tech startups and other stakeholders. “Having that advocacy that’s directly engaging is really important,” she said.
Sanders also suggested learning which departments in the city focus on smart development. “Often it is within the IT departments and the innovation and infrastructure departments. Those are really great contacts that perhaps don’t seem like the most direct connection, but those are the folks that are doing the infrastructure planning and would pull a lot of that information in.”
The fast-approaching future of cities is exciting. But before cities can become smart, they must become accessible. Otherwise, they risk duplicating existing barriers to accessibility or even making them worse. m
We have to consider these elements in advance if we’re going to produce life- changing outcomes that everyone talks about — Amy Schoppman
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