Fastrack Institute to tackle Miami transportation challenges with $500,000
from Knight Foundation, Miami-Dade Expressway Authority and the Codina family

Fastrack Institute will launch Mobility Fastrack in Miami-Dade,
an open call for ideas to address transportation challenges

MIAMI―Aug. 8, 2017―Fastrack Institute, a private nonprofit foundation that helps cities accelerate technology into society, will launch a 16-week “Fastrack” program to help address Miami-Dade’s transportation challenges with $500,000 from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Miami-Dade Expressway Authority and local real estate developer and investor Armando Codina, who is representing the Codina Family. As part of the program, the institute will develop a series of inclusive public workshops to solicit feedback from the community and launch an open call for ideas to explore Miami-Dade transit issues.

“I am looking forward to participating in the conversation led by Fastrack Institute and seeing how we can work together and implement real-world solutions that will be advantageous to Miami-Dade’s transportation issues,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez. “This initiative is a prime example of how public/private partnerships are beneficial to the community.”

Providing accessible, wide-reaching public transportation in Miami-Dade continues to be a challenge. To address this issue, Miami-Dade County is considering a significant expansion of its mass transit system. Before launching the plan, the government wants to examine what mobility will look like in the future and consider new technologies that are changing the way people get around. To this end, Miami-Dade County and Miami-Dade Expressway Authority have asked the Fastrack Institute to bring their exponential development platform to Miami-Dade to explore new and emerging transportation technologies.

“The opportunities for cities to leapfrog into the exponential new world by dealing with bits and algorithms rather than remaining stuck with dealing with atoms is of monumental importance,” said Rodrigo Arboleda, CEO of the Fastrack Institute.

Fastrack Institute programs, or Fastracks, aim to help cities develop scalable solutions to difficult urban problems in faster and more cost effective ways. The Fastrack framework is based on ideas spearheaded by Singularity University and ExO Works, organizations that focus on the impact of exponential technologies, those that are doubling in power or speed while their cost is dropping.

Knight Foundation and Miami-Dade Expressway Authority are each investing $200,000 to support the 16-week Fastrack and the Codina family is providing an additional $100,000.

With the new funding, the institute will launch the Miami-Dade Mobility Fastrack to promote the discovery, development and implementation of scalable solutions that use new and emerging technologies to address current mobility challenges. The institute will invite the Miami community to work with a variety of experts for 16 weeks to develop two solutions that will improve mobility across the Miami-Dade metropolitan area. The program will create a framework to implement mobility solutions in Miami-Dade by presenting specific, actionable plans. It will help build a network of people that want to solve this challenge together.

“In a rapidly changing world, cities must keep pace with innovation to better serve community needs. Through this partnership with Fastrack Institute, the City of Miami is taking a bold look at technology’s future and creating lessons that can spur community engagement and growth both locally and across the nation,” said Sam Gill, Knight Foundation vice president for communities and impact.

“This is a great opportunity to think beyond the mobility solutions available to us today,” said Alice N. Bravo, director of Miami-Dade County’s Department of Transportation and Public Works. “We believe the Fastrack Miami program will help us break the mold by taking an innovative approach to defining the future of mobility in Miami-Dade County.”

On August 24, 2017 from 8 a.m.-4 p.m., the Fastrack Institute will kick off the 16-week Miami-Dade Mobility Fastrack with a one-day Awake workshop in the BCC Chambers of the Steven P. Clark Government Center. Register here to attend. Awake will begin with a presentation to the public in which Miami-Dade’s transit issues will be discussed and community feedback will be collected. The institute will also launch an open call for ideas, inviting the public to submit suggestions to address Miami-Dade’s mass transit issues.

Two teams will be selected from a pool of applicants to participate in the 16-week Fastrack using Singularity University fundamentals, ExO methodology and exponential technologies. Ideas presented will be assessed based on scalability, originality and potential time to market. The teams will include global experts working hand in hand with local Miami-based participants, organizations, educational institutions and public offices. People from all over the world will converge on Miami to propose and develop technology solutions to Miami-Dade transit challenges. The Fastrack will be directed by a full-time team based in Miami. A local advisory board will also support, oversee and review the process as it unfolds.

“Fastrack Institute aims to energize our community of innovators and attract new talent to Miami, while engaging the public in meaningful solution-building,” said Chris Caines, Knight Foundation interim program director for Miami.

“Traffic and issues of mobility are some of the most serious challenges facing South Florida. We believe that Fastrack Institute’s approach to solving complex problems is ideal to assist our community with this issue that negatively impacts quality of life for all South Floridians. We are proud to be involved in this landmark program,” said Ana-Marie Codina Barlick, Codina Partners’ chief executive officer.

Support for Fastrack Institute is part of Knight Foundation’s broader effort to invest in Miami’s emerging innovators and entrepreneurs as a means to build community while fostering talent and expanding economic opportunity. Over the past five years Knight has made more than 200 investments in entrepreneurship in South Florida.

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About the Fastrack Institute
The Fastrack Institute is a 501(c)(3) private foundation dedicated to Accelerating Technology Into Society. The institute supports cities by curating scalable solutions to difficult urban problems using the Fastrack framework. The foundation believes that harnessing the power of rapidly advancing technology can help create agile, meaningful solutions to difficult societal problems.

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. The foundation believes that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. For more, visit www.KnightFoundation.org.

Contacts:

Rodrigo Arboleda, CEO, Miami Mobility Fastrack, Fastrack Institute, [email protected]

Anusha Alikhan, Communications Director, Knight Foundation, [email protected], 305-908-2646.