Annual Sandbox Competition

Since 2020, the ITE Consultants Council has sponsored/hosted an annual sandbox competition open to both student and professional groups. The topic of the competition is determined by members of the Consultants Council in the fall of each year, focusing on a critical area of the transportation industry. Finalists are invited to the ITE Annual Meeting and Exhibition, and winners are announced during the Annual Awards Lunch.

Timeline for the 2025 Competition

December 4, 2024: Informational webinar (see information below)
January 1-March 31, 2025: Project work done
April 1: All entries are due by midnight in the Open Water Portal
End of April, two team finalists in both the professional and student categories will be selected
Annual Meeting in Orlando—final competition to determine the winners in both the student and professional categories

To express your interest in having a team for the 2025 competition and be included in communications regarding specific competition criteria, please click here.

Current Year Competition:

Mobility Hub Concept Development & Design

Student and Professional Team Competitions

Purpose:

As transportation options have evolved, how people access the multitude of trip options has started to expand. Communities now face the challenges and opportunities to influence the travel options of residents and commuters through design at key locations by providing modal options. An emerging trend in design is through the introduction of mobility hubs. A "mobility hub" is a designated location where multiple transportation options are available to users. Engineers, planners, and analysts have an opportunity to enhance equality of access and resilience of the built environment for all users by planning and designing mobility hubs.

The proposed sandbox activity includes applying a variety of strategic, programmatic, and tactical activities to improve the resilience of all users in a typical urban (or suburban) neighborhood.

Mobility hubs, as a general concept, should address the following elements:

Increase the number of transportation options available to someone
Encourage environmentally and financially sustainable access and mobility
Prioritize people through design
Ease of transfer between modes
Flexible and scaled to the surrounding environment

Problem Statement:

The Sandbox competition has provided each professional team with two locations for planning and designing a mobility hub. The teams should evaluate and select one location for the conceptual design and planning process.

The task for each team will be to develop a concept plan for a mobility hub providing a design that serves the surrounding locations. The design should incorporate suitable transportation solutions/options, and demonstrate how they serve users to benefit mobility, equality and environmental sustainability.

Types of Transportation modes that may be included:

Transit
Freight (delivery / first last mile)
Bike Share
Pick up drop off
TNC
Walking
Parking
Micromobility Devices
Mobility as a Service
Wayfinding
Public space / amenities

Professional teams and student teams will have different locations.
Compile the above into a technical memorandum with renderings and a concept plan.

Challenge Parameters: Professional Teams

Prepare a Planning Approach and Conceptual Design which responds to the need for a mobility hub at one (1) of the two (2) designated locations.
Demonstrate the transferability of the proposed strategies to the second location.

The appended documents on the following pages outline the professional category sites. This includes an overview of the two (2) study locations and elements of existing infrastructure to be considered.

Challenge Parameters: Student Teams

Prepare a Planning Approach and Conceptual Design which responds to the need for a mobility hub on your university campus.
Demonstrate the transferability of the proposed strategies to other universities or campuses.

Challenge Parameters: Professional and Student Teams

Identify and describe the needs of the transportation system.
- Develop a vision and goals for the project
- Present an understanding of the mobility hub purpose
- Identify, Discuss and Solve the challenges of the planning/design.
Prepare a plan, encompassing both design and planning strategies at the network and community level, which address the multimodal needs of the mobility hub.
- The plan should outline the approach to planning and designing the mobility hub.
- The plan should address the needs of different users
- The plan should address multiple transportation modes and mode choices.
Prepare a conceptual design for the mobility hub.
- Identify at least one (1) critical element of infrastructure which should be redesigned or improved to meet the needs of the mobility hub

Criteria: Professional and Student Teams

Technical Memorandum and demonstration of Mobility Hub concept (60%)

Demonstration of an approach in Mobility Hub’s
Development of a suitable vision and goals for the project
Demonstrated understanding of different users and different transportation modes
Transferability and adaptability of the approach to other locations
Differentiators in approach
Quality of writing and presentation

Concept Plan (40%)

Criteria met the layout of the plan
Design decisions are clear and explained
There is an expectation that one graphic will show the proposed plan with activities labeled. Submitters can present this on an 11x17 page instead of an 8 ½ x 11 pages

Submission Guidelines

Complete this application and upload along with your submission (one PDF file) to the judging portal.
Each submission is limited to ten 8 ½ X 11 pages including covers, tabs, graphics, and/or images.
Submitters can use an 11x17 page to present the proposed design and this 11x17 will count as one page.
Methodology and transferability to other corridors are the keys to the competition and the demonstration of these concepts should be apparent in the submission.
Explain your thought process and justify all your decisions – for example, did you include dedicated space for people biking, how and why? Why did you provide the bus stop there?

Eligibility

There will be separate professional and student categories. Cities/agencies wishing to enter would do so under the professional category.
Teams can include an unlimited number of participants, but at least one member of the team must be an ITE member.
Please note that if you are entering the Student Category, each member of your team must be a full-time undergraduate or graduate student.

Evaluation of the Entries/Submissions

The top two (2) teams in both the professional and student categories will be invited to present their approach and solutions as part of the ITE Annual Meeting in Orlando and take questions from the audience in an open and interactive session.
Presentation guidelines will be provided to the finalists once shortlisted.
A panel of 4-6 judges will be established by ITE

Recognition

The winning teams will be recognized at the ITE Annual Awards Luncheon in Orlando, Florida. Press and industry announcements will be issued highlighting the finalists and winners.
One paid full Annual Meeting registration will be provided to one representative from each of the two professional teams that are finalists.
One paid full Annual Meeting registration and up to $500 in travel expenses will be provided to one representative from each of the two student teams that are finalists.
The entries from the two winning teams (professional and student) will be featured in an issue of ITE Journal.
*New this year* - Other submissions may also be highlighted in ITE Journal and included on the competition web page.

Professional Category Location Overview

The 2025 Sandbox Competition Professional Category will focus on the planning and design of a mobility hub along the existing SunRail Commuter Line. SunRail is a commuter rail service system which currently operates over 61 miles with 17 stations through Volusia, Seminole,Orange, and Osceola counties.

The Sandbox Competition will identify two (2) stations along the existing SunRail Commuter Line for Planning and Conceptual Design of a mobility hub. The teams shall prepare the plan and approach for one (1) location and demonstrate the transferability of the proposed strategies to the second location.

Professional Catergory Location #1:

• Station H – Winter Park / Amtrak
148 West Morse Boulevard, Winter Park, FL 32789
Winter Park station is a train station in Winter Park, Florida. It is served by Sun Rail commuter rail service and Amtrak Floridian and Silver Meteor intercity trains. The current station was built in 2014, coinciding with the introduction of Sun Rail service.

Why was this location selected?
•   City of Winter Historic District
•   Downtown Winter Park
•   Central Park
•   Multiple LYNX Connections
•   Major Arterial and Interstate to the West
•   Dense Residential Areas to the North & East
•   Nearby Points of Interest & Destinations

Current Amenities.
•   Public Parking Lot
•   Bike Racks
•   Enclosed Building/Ticketing Office
•   Covered & Accessible Platform

Project Limits
•   Focus Roadway and Infrastructure Design Improvements within the Area Highlighted on the Attached Map
•   11x17 Graphic should encompass Proposed improvements and Area Highlighted on the Attached Map
•   Evaluate Land Uses, Trips, Mode Choices and Users within 3-miles of the train station
•   Maintain existing private buildings, properties, etc. and all accesses.

Professional Catergory Location #2:

• Station L – Orlando Health / Amtrak
250 Columbia Street, Orlando, FL 32806
Orlando Health/Amtrak Station is a train station in Orlando, Florida. It is served by Amtrak and Sun Rail commuter rail service, as well as local and intercity buses.

Why was this location selected?
•   Located near various medical facilities, including Orlando Health Regional Medical Center
•   I-4 Bounds the Site to the West between W. Gore Street and W. Kaley Street
•   Limited LYNX Connections
•   Dense Commercial Areas to the North, South & East
•   Off-Site Parking
•   Residential Properties to the East of South Orange Avenue
•   Residential Properties to the West of I-4

Current Amenities.
•   Permit & Reserved Parking Lot
•   Off-Site Parking Garages
•   Enclosed Building/Ticketing Office
•   Bike Racks
•   Covered & Accessible Platform

You can obtain more information on Sunrail here:

The project goals and locations were selected considering the goals and technical information outlined in the 2045 Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) of MetroPlan Orlando. MetroPlan Orlando?is the metropolitan planning organization for Orange, Osceola, and Seminole counties.

You can obtain more information on MetroPlan Orlando here:

Past Competitions:

2024: Resilience in the Face of Climate Change. Read more -> Journal Article (coming soon) - Info Site
2023: Optimizing Main Street. This competition focused on optimizing the right-of-way for a corridor that could serve as an example in terms of balancing corridor needs, safety, operations, mobility, equity, and livability. Read more
2022: Equitable SimCity. The goal for this competition was to plan and design a community in a post-pandemic world—balancing elements of equitable design. Read more
2021: Vision Zero Design. This competition focused on near-miss technology to perform safety studies. Read more
2020: Microbility. Read more

For questions, contact Kathi Driggs.