Nashville is one of five cities worldwide selected for a new project to accelerate the use of self-driving vehicles, joining Austin, Los Angeles, Paris, and Buenos Aires to brainstorm ways that cities can accommodate driverless cars.
The
announcement was made Monday by The Aspen Institute and Bloomberg Philanthropies.
The chosen cities will have the help of experts, policymakers, and data — and will be tasked with finding ways to address transportation inequality and to improve mobility.
The announcement came at the CityLab conference in Miami. Mayor Megan Barry was on hand to see a self-driving car and to chat live with Mike Ableson, vice president of global strategy for General Motors.
She couldn’t quite get him to promise a high-tech fleet for Nashville.
“We think a pilot in Nashville would be a wonderful thing to do,” she said, laughing.
“You know,” Ableson responded, “I’ve had quite a few mayors who thought their city would be perfect for a pilot.”
Translation: No promise of
self-driving cars in Nashville quite yet.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg Philanthropies also chose Nashville for a new project on improving citywide data.
In joining an initiative known as ”
What Works Cities” — with 55 other local governments — Metro will share more municipal data and establish ways to track progress on citywide priorities, according to a statement from the mayor’s office.
Metro’s new Chief Data Officer, Robyn Mace, will lead the city’s involvement, which includes guidance from national experts.
Chattanooga was among the original group chosen for the launch in April. Bloomberg Philanthropies ultimately aims to reach 100 mid-size cities.
On Air - 90.3 WPLN-FM