May 15, 2023
Fostering a collaborative environment between the automotive and transportation industry and the public creates a unique opportunity for the mobility industry. It builds communities of trust and paves the way for equitable solutions and new ideas. Enter Detroit Moves, an annual event launched in 2017, to facilitate this collaboration.
When the Detroit Moves community festival first launched, it featured autonomous vehicles, shared mobility, last-mile forms of transportation, and even a flying car. By 2019, the event had picked up so much momentum and recognition —in partnership with the Quicken Loans Community Investment Fund and the Detroit Regional Chamber’s MICHauto — it was able to expand to a week-long event with demonstrations, educational talks, and hands-on learning opportunities geared at professionals, students, and the community-at-large. It gained so much popularity in the Region that it partnered with other organizations throughout Detroit under the same mission and Detroit’s Mayor Mike Duggan designated the week as ‘Mobility Week Detroit.’
Hosted at the newly renovated Book Depository building in Corktown, Detroit Moves re-engaged industry, government, and community stakeholders and advocates for a half-day forum on how government and industry are working together to create a positive change in transportation in Michigan.
The event’s first panel revolved around mobility test sites in the Region, exploring how Detroit continues to position itself globally as a real-world test bed for new transportation technologies, including automated parking with the Detroit Smart Parking Lab and urban air mobility through the Michigan Unmanned Aerial Systems Consortium. Panelists shared insights into how Southeast Michigan is attracting technology companies from around the world to solve some of the biggest issues in transportation and ultimately make transit safer, more efficient, and more sustainable.
Following the panel, the conversation switched to the future of roads, where panelists representing two of the state’s first-in-the-nation projects and representatives from the State of Michigan and the City of Detroit provided an inside look at how Michigan is rethinking the way it operates its roads along.
During the discussion, the speakers warned of how little has been done in the U.S. to rethink the role roads play in the future of transportation despite tremendous innovation over the last decade in vehicle technology, including electrification and autonomy. Panelists used the connected and automated vehicle corridor, managed by Cavnue and Electreon’s wireless charging road, to provide an inside look at how the private and public sectors are partnering in a completely new way to ensure the Region is a leader in the future of roads.
Lastly, attendees explored public transit, hearing from several regional transit advocates and stakeholders. The panelists demonstrated how public transit in Southeast Michigan fits into the larger mobility space and why transit remains the key part of a growing and changing community. The discussion focused on plans for the future of regional transit, including electrification and micro-mobility, highlighting the role technology plays in the transit experience and the value between public and private agencies in creating accessible and equitable options.
This half-day event created a space for a dialogue between business, government, and community leaders. It reflected on the incredible innovations of today that incubate out of the Detroit Region and the commitment the state has to ensure Michigan continues to be a global leader in the transportation of people, goods, and services. It also set the stage for what will come for Detroit Moves next year as organizers plan to bring back the Detroit Moves Festival for the local community.
Detroit Moves was built upon community engagement.
“Back in 2017, we launched Detroit Moves as a way for the public to learn about the mobility options available to them today as well as experience what is to come in the future,” said Vittoria Valenti-Amodeo, Detroit Moves Co-founder and Senior Project Manager at OneMagnify. “During those free festivals, we saw members of the community learning about transit options and electric vehicle charging. We saw students get inspired by drone delivery possibilities and autonomous vehicles. And we saw local stakeholders learning from the community to ensure equitable and accessible options for the region.”
As Detroit Moves continues to grow post-pandemic, the event plans to bring back its flagship festival and forum as a way to create a dialogue between industry, government, and the local community.
“The success of all of the work the mobility industry is doing today ultimately will rest in the hands of the public and whether or not they’ll trust and support it,” said Katelyn Davis, Detroit Moves Co-founder and Communications Lead at Cavnue. “We believe that community buy-in and positive perception is the key to helping the public to feel prepared and onboard for what the future holds. And we believe the Detroit Moves Festival is that much-needed connection point.”
Building upon the success of the re-launched event last month, the yet-to-be-announced 2024 Detroit Moves will feature a free community festival in addition to its industry-focused forum and welcomes companies and organizations to get involved early to celebrate what makes the Detroit Region a world leader in this space and engage the local community in a meaningful way.
For more information on how to get involved with Detroit Moves in the future, visit www.detroitmoves.com.
Written by Katelyn Davis, Communications Lead at Cavnue
