DC Mayor Bowser Launches Mobility Innovation District

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Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser launched the District’s first-ever Mobility Innovation District (MID) on Thursday.

The multiyear project, which is being created by a joint venture between the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED), the Southwest Business Improvement District and community leaders, is designed to improve equitable access to transportation for residents and visitors in Southwest D.C.

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Additionally, the MID will create a global innovation hub designed to show how mobility innovation can make a city more equitable, sustainable, safe and prosperous. 

DMPED provided a $3 million grant to the Southwest BID to support the creation of the MID.

One of the components of the MID will see Circuit, a micro-transit company that offers all-electric, on-demand transportation solutions, creating a new mobility service for residents and visitors that will circle the Southwest neighborhood.

This will connect some of the District’s top attractions and dining destinations, including Independence Avenue to the north; 15th Street Southwest and waterfront to the west; Q Street Southwest to the south; and South Capitol Street to the east. It will also extend into the Capitol Riverfront neighborhood.

“Mayor Bowser and The MID are working together to modernize our transportation infrastructure to increase the modes of transportation and create systems to make our public transportation system more accessible to seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income residents,” Deputy Mayor John Falcicchio said. “One in four adults nationwide lacks access to safe, reliable transportation. The solutions we uncover will help create a more equitable city and create models that can be replicated nationally, so every Washingtonian and American can access opportunities and make the most of their fair shot.”

Keith Loria can be reached at Kloria@commercialobserver.com.