Introducing Future Mobility Living Lab (FMLL)
FMLL is a groundbreaking initiative within the Smart City, Innovation, and Improvement team, set to create new solutions in the City of Casey. Centred around the pillars of inclusivity, safety, smart solutions, and sustainability, this project addresses transportation challenges in Casey.
In collaboration with selected organisations – universities, forward-thinking start-ups, businesses, and social enterprises – we aim to redefine transportation through research and innovative trials. Key initiatives involve enhancing safety in school zones and a parallel sustainability endeavour exploring eco-friendly alternatives to materials used in street paving.
Delivery outcomes
Between February - July 2024, Future Mobility Living Lab will deliver projects, research, and pop-up events at the chosen hub and focal school, Narre Warren South P-12 to actively engage the community in improving safety in school surroundings.
In this exciting phase, successful recipients of the grant have been carefully selected. Together, we’re focusing our efforts on a targeted approach, zeroing in on the safety of our community from and to, and around schools. Specifically, our efforts will be concentrated at a selected school where we’ll actively engage in testing and refining solutions to improve safety for parents, children, caregivers, and school staff members.
Look forward to pop-up events scheduled in the first half of 2024, strategically positioned at our chosen school. These events are not only about showcasing what’s underway but also about your involvement. Your active participation is essential as we collaboratively endeavour to enhance safety in the vicinity of schools. Join us in this shared effort to create an environment that prioritizes safety, making school surroundings more secure and conducive for everyone.
Additionally, there’s a parallel project concurrently addressing sustainability challenges. NTRO, one of our selected participants, is actively engaged in pioneering new eco-friendly materials to pave our streets with dismissed tires. This dual-focused approach aligns with our commitment to creating a future where urban transportation is not just efficient but also environmentally conscious.
Who will deliver the solutions?
The City of Casey Council had already selected participants through a competitive grant process. Successful applicants, including businesses, not-for-profit organisations, start-ups, and universities, are actively involved in running extended trials focusing on safety, inclusion, and environmental issues in mobility.
These selected participants receive the Council support to collaborate with the community and deliver these trials between February and July 2024. For the Safe School Routes initiative, a series of pop-up opportunities will be strategically organised, providing direct community engagement and feedback. These pop-up events will be exclusively related to the specific challenges identified around the chosen school, ensuring a targeted and impactful collaboration with the community.
What ideas and solutions will be tested?
FMLL's initiative actively seeks innovative solutions from the community, businesses, and research institutions. Our flagship Safe School Routes project, led by participants like Minnovation, Aero Ranger, Compass IoT, Swinburne University, and Federation University, addresses safety around schools – tackling pick-ups and drop-offs, pedestrian crossings, near-misses, and more. Another significant project, spearheaded by NTRO, focuses on pioneering eco-friendly tire materials, aligning with our commitment to sustainable urban mobility.
The goal is to find inclusive, safe, and environmentally sustainable ways for Casey residents to move around the city.
Future pop-ups
Pop-up events, set at our chosen school, Narre Warren South P-12, in the first half of 2024, exclusively focus on enhancing safety around schools. These events offer firsthand experience of innovative solutions tailored for safety in school districts, with active participation from Minnovation, Swinburne University, Aero Ranger, Compass IoT, and Federation University.
Engage directly with these solutions, providing valuable feedback, expressing concerns, and connecting with other parents and local organisations committed to improving safety in our school community. Attend our Pop-ups to actively contribute to positive change and enjoy a collaborative, enriching experience!
Showcase your business
Although the grant process for this trial has concluded, we extend an invitation to businesses interested in showcasing their innovative products or services at a public event open to all Casey community that we’ll be hosting in mid-2024.
To potentially be selected to feature in one of our pop-up events, please submit an expression of interest. Additionally, you can review the grant guidelines for Future Mobility Lab for a comprehensive understanding of our initiative.
Join us in shaping the future of local mobility through your innovative contributions.