The purpose of the Emerging Mobility Action Plan (EMAP) is to guide emerging mobility services. The EMAP will help to better meet the transportation needs of San José’s residents, particularly its underserved communities.

EMERGING MOBILITY ACTION PLAN REPORT 

The EMAP was presented to City Council on Tuesday, April 5, 2022.

• Read a preview of the full EMAP, which was presented to Council. 
• Appendix A: Existing Conditions
• Appendix B: Community Engagement
• Appendix C: Best Practices Memorandum
• Appendix D: Literature Review
• Appendix E: Recommendation Prioritization
• Appendix F: Model Language and Process Charts

Read the previous draft of the EMAP, broken out by chapters, below:

Executive Summary

Chapter 1 – An Equity Approach to Emerging Mobility

We are building an equity-centered action plan. This will help us understand, manage, and guide emerging mobility services so they meet all of our communities’ needs. This chapter describes our approach to centering San José’s diverse communities in our efforts to use emerging mobility to help create the transportation system we need and want.

Chapter 2 – Looking Back to Move Forward

Chapter 2 looks at how federal, state, and local policies and processes excluded specific groups of people. These groups include Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, women, people with low-incomes, and other marginalized groups. This history is essential to understanding how we got to where we are today. It helps us understand the harm done and how we can develop an inclusive and equitable path forward.

Chapter 3 – Plan Development Process

This chapter describes how we structured this planning process to center racial equity. The planning process included the creation of and collaboration with our Equity Task Force (ETF).

Chapter 4 – Existing Conditions with An Equity Focus

One of the first steps in this planning process was to gather background information and data on existing conditions. Quantitative data was coupled with community stories. This approach helped us paint a more complete picture of the reality on the ground.

Chapter 5 – Emerging Mobility in San José Today

This chapter presents a series of maps, which highlight existing emerging mobility services. These maps help us identify service gaps.

Chapter 6 – Hope & Harm of Emerging Mobility

This chapter examines ways in which emerging mobility services and practices perpetuate economic and racial inequities. We also dive into how these practices could further economic and racial equity goals.

Chapter 7 – Data, Community & the City

Data enables cities to make informed decisions about where and how to serve its communities. This chapter describes how the City currently uses data. We also talk about how data could be used even more effectively to:

• Monitor performance;
• Ensure compliance;
• Manage city streets and sidewalks;
• Advance the City’s equity, environmental and transportation goals.

Chapter 8 – Recommendations

The plan’s recommendations were developed in collaboration with the ETF. We got input from technical and public agency experts on how to implement the recommendations. The recommendations were informed by:

• Project goals, established by the ETF;
• Experiences, concerns, and needs expressed by ETF and community members. They provided feedback regarding traditional and new transportation services;
• Feedback from community members on how to improve these new services. Their comments are crucial, so we can better serve the needs of their communities.

Chapter 9 – Lessons Learned

Centering equity in a planning and implementation project requires us to be open to new ideas. We also need to create new processes to reach the outcomes sought by community members. We discuss the lessons learned through the course of this project. Thanks to community feedback, we have created recommendations to support the City’s future work. This chapter provides key takeaways from this process.

What is Emerging Mobility?

“Emerging mobility” is a term used to describe new services and technology that are helping people or goods move from one place to another. You may already be familiar with:

• Electric scooters and electric bike rentals (also known as micromobility)
• Shared cars (like Zipcar)
• Ride hailing (like Uber and Lyft)
• Robots that deliver goods (like Kiwibots)

The transportation landscape will continue to change as new services and technologies emerge.

Project Overview

The City of San José believes mobility is a human right. We, the staff of the City’s Department of Transportation (DOT), want all people to have safe, affordable, reliable, and sustainable transportation options. That way, all San José residents have access to the opportunities and resources necessary to thrive.

We seek to use emerging mobility to improve our transportation system. We want these services to fill transportation service gaps. We also want to make sure these services are affordable, reliable, and non-polluting. And we want to ensure that these services are accessible to all, particularly San José’s communities of color and low-income neighborhoods.  The Plan strives to do this by: 

• Centering racial equity. This will improve our understanding of community needs and allow us to develop solutions in partnership with communities; 
• Understanding historic disparities in community investment and access to transportation services. With this insight, we can appreciate the harm caused and actions that could either improve or cause additional harm;
• Evaluating the current distribution of emerging mobility options and who they serve or don’t;
• Working with the community to identify where and how emerging mobility might serve their needs.

The insights gained from this planning process will also help the City center racial equity in other areas of our work.

The Equity Task Force

DOT staff are working closely with an Equity Task Force (ETF). The ETF consists of nine community leaders, representing the City’s diverse communities. Through our collaboration, the ETF has pushed the City’s thinking on how to center racial equity in this planning process. They also invited us into conversations with their communities.

The ETF met on a weekly basis with the City’s project team throughout this planning process. Through these meetings, members provided input and advice on a range of topics. They:

• Helped set the direction and goals of the EMAP in a way that centers community and equity;
• Helped create a collaborative and equitable decision-making process;
• Learned about city planning. They have proposed improvements that would better meet the needs of San José’s marginalized communities;
• Helped define and refine racial and social equity strategies and tactics;
• Provided feedback on initial findings and prioritized recommended strategies;
• Reviewed and informed the engagement strategy and content. They also helped promote and organize events and meetings in their respective communities;
• Determined how to keep the project accountable to the community.

Resources

Take a look at the December 2021 Draft Plan presentation to City Council.