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.
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
Criterial: 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 (link)--Link will be available by January 1, 2025.
- 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
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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 Portland and take questions from the audience in an open and interactive session.
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Presentation guidelines will be provided to the finalists once shortlisted.
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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.
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:
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.
Informational Webinar
New this year, we will be doing an informational webinar about the specifics of the competition for those who express an interest in participating. We will do an overview as well as give possible participants the opportunity to ask questions. The webinar will be held on December 4th from 1:00–2:00 p.m. ET. Below is the Teams calendar information that you can put in your own calendar if you wish to attend.
Microsoft Teams
Meeting ID: 289 290 048 044
Passcode: gLNNtb
Dial in by phone
+1 253-666-4432,,533311678# United States, Tacoma
Phone conference ID: 533 311 678#
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.