Listen: KC transportation leaders examine Smart City, Hyperloop, smart pavement
May 2, 2017 | Meghan LeVota
Judging by the popularity of our recent Hyperloop One coverage, the future of transportation has become a hot topic in the metro.
It’s crazy to imagine that, in the near future, we may be living in a world of subsonic rail travel, smart pavement and autonomous vehicles. But before we get too excited about the possibilities, it’s important to check in on where we are now. Government and business leaders alike are currently paving the way for transportation innovation in Kansas City and beyond, but there are many details to sort first.
For the April Innovation Exchange, we dove into the exciting new developments within Kansas City transportation. Touching on ridesharing, Hyperloop One and other futuristic transportation options, Startland editor Bobby Burch held a fireside chat with a variety of local leaders purveying and adapting to rapid changes in how people move from place to place.
Joining in the discussion were: KCMO chief innovation officer Bob Bennett; KC Streetcar Authority Board member Matt Staub; Mid-America Regional Council principal planner Amanda Graor; Integrated Roadways founder Tim Sylvester; and Think Big Partners’ transportation and mobility advisor Hunter Johnston.
If you missed the event, listen to the podcast below. During the discussion, Bob Bennett shares what to expect from phase two of the city’s Smart City Initiative —which just won an Edison Award. Tim Sylvester details why smart infrastructure is crucial to setting up the metro for autonomous vehicles. Amanda Graor explains the nuances of establishing a holistic transportation plan across the Kansas-Missouri border, and how to seamlessly provide mobility to citizens. Matt Staub also explains successes and failures of the streetcar and Hunter Johnson shares the implications of inevitable mass autonomous vehicle use.
The Innovation Exchange is a monthly event put on by Startland News in conjunction with Think Big. It aims to create community conversation and provide context on news in Kansas City’s entrepreneurial community.
Featured Business
2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
KC-baked snack cracker startup tastes new markets, opportunities fueled by regenerative agriculture
SAN ANTONIO — Five years after the company experienced crunch time in the Kansas City-based Sprint Accelerator, Cheddies Crackers has expanded its line of high-protein, low-carb cheddar crackers into more than 2,500 retailers nationwide, said Francisco Pergola. RELATED: Say ‘cheese,’ KC! Cheddies arrive in Hy-Vee stores after Sprint Accelerator Pergola — who co-founded the San…
Shop Local KC moving its flagship maker store to Brookside, expects flower business to bloom
Shop Local KC is closing its flagship Midtown location as it prepares to open a new storefront in Brookside Sept. 1, according to owner Katie Mabry Van Dieren. The retail gift and flower shop plans to depart its original location at 3630 Main St. as the building developer, Exact Partners, seeks to use the space…
Investor returns to Kansas City with a message for his fellow VCs: It’s time to get your hands dirty
Traveling across the United States to listen and learn from various entrepreneurial ecosystems gave Nassir Criss the knowledge to be a better venture capitalist, he said. After nearly a year — and visiting more than a dozen cities — Criss has returned to Kansas City to share and apply what he experienced. “I realized that…
Manufacturing talent: Kansas production mainstay designs its niche, from warfighters to healthcare
Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. TOPEKA — The leader of a Kansas company specializing in custom equipment design and manufacturing hailed the work of its nearly 500 employees for allowing the organization to thrive during…