Advocates worry that Louisville’s pursuit of $50 million Smart Cities award is ‘hijacking’ local efforts.

Advocates worry that Louisville’s pursuit of $50 million Smart Cities award is ‘hijacking’ local efforts.

“It’s hijacking transportation planning in favor of the automobile industry,” Hixson said. “That’s something most scientists and advocates of sustainable transportation say we need to move away from.”

He said CART also wants the city to articulate how Smart Cities will address issues such as climate change, racial segregation, joblessness in low-income areas and access to efficient transportation for the poor.

Local advocates are also asking about the status of an overdue study, Move Louisville, a consultant-aided project set up to determine the community’s long-range transportation plans.

“Am I worried? No. Am I angry? Yes,” Green said. “It’s just typical, we still don’t have a vision for a foundational issue, which is transportation.”

Image: courtesy of Courier-Journal

http://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/metro-government/2016/01/27/pursuit-50m-transit-grant-stirs-questions/79400908/