Reimagining The Urban Form

With support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, RMI’s Mobility-Oriented Development team has been experimenting at the interface of personal mobility and urban design to develop a practical and scalable approach to reducing emissions, enhancing health, and improving equity in cities.

In the summer of 2018, RMI launched a Community Mobility Hub in Austin, Texas. In collaboration with five mobility service companies, a public engagement firm, and a number of community organizations, RMI designed and implemented a neighborhood-based access point for mobility, where public transit and new mobility services are readily available for use. Our team also introduced a number of urban space improvements intended to enhance the experience of accessing services and Mobility hub report final using the space around them. RMI and its partners added shading, trees, a variety of plants, and food trucks to transform a space that was largely dedicated to personal vehicles.

To measure success and put other cities and communities in a position to replicate, learn from, and understand the potential impact of Community Mobility Hubs, RMI established a data collection and assessment methodology. Our team employed the use of on-the-ground surveys, camera footage, and data provided by the mobility service companies to track progress toward our goals and intended outcomes.

This report details our findings.