Executive Summary
EVERY INDUSTRY IS AFFECTED by new technologies, and the mobility sector is no different. Thanks to rapid advancements in recent years, including high-speed connectivity and mass electrification, as well as equally rapidly changing personal preferences, there is no shortage of new ways for urban dwellers to move around their environments. With a wave of mobility innovations looming—and, in some cases, already here—municipal, provincial, and federal governments across Canada have a significant role to play in ensuring that their populations receive the full benefits. This report explores the question: How prepared are large Canadian municipalities in planning for, adopting, and advancing urban mobility innovations?
To answer this question, we performed a municipal policy scan for eight of the country’s largest urban centres, including regulatory documents, policy documents and guidelines, council reports, and budgets. Provincial policy scans were also performed in cases where policy interdependencies were identified. Next, we interviewed more than two dozen key municipal urban planning and transportation planning staff for added firsthand perspectives. Finally, we created a new tool called the Municipal Mobility Index, which maps how municipalities currently use transportation projects to support sustainability, innovate with technology, and advance the public good.
After analyzing all of this information, we were heartened to see innovations already happening in urban mobility from coast to coast, in various ways and to various degrees. Our recommendations are based on what we learned in our research, and are intended to provide valuable direction for planning professionals not just in Canada, but around the world. These recommendations include: putting the public interest before that of private entities, building strong internal and external relationships to grow innovation locally, and fostering overall cultures of innovation that spur creativity and create new opportunities for advancing urban mobility.