The Toyota Mobility Foundation has announced the winners of its Sustainable Cities Challenge, marking the conclusion of a $9 million global initiative designed to drive safe, inclusive, and sustainable urban mobility.
The challenge, which was conducted in partnership with Challenge Works and the World Resources Institute, focused on addressing unique mobility issues in Varanasi, India; Venice, Italy; and Detroit, Michigan. Following a three-year process of reviewing hundreds of global submissions, finalists worked to refine their proposals into practical solutions tailored to the specific needs of their host cities.
In Varanasi, innovators addressed the challenge of managing pedestrian congestion and pilgrimage flows in one of India’s oldest cities. CITYDATA, Inc., in partnership with Nippon Koei, presented CityFlow, a cloud-based solution that utilizes big data, computer vision, and generative artificial intelligence to monitor and manage crowds in real time. The Urbanizer also received recognition for Jan Jatra, a mobility solution that employs color-coded wayfinding and tactical urbanism strategies to improve navigation and safety for residents and visitors.
In Venice, the focus was on encouraging the use of existing low-carbon transport infrastructure. BetterPoints Ltd won for its Bella Mossa app, which uses gamification and reward programs to incentivize sustainable travel. During a pilot period between October 2025 and February 2026, the app replaced 45,000 car journeys and resulted in 1,570 kilometers traveled by bicycle by non-typical cyclists.
Factual Consulting SL, working with OpenMove, also secured a win with its digital platform, Andemo. The platform utilizes micro-incentives to drive behavioral changes in transport habits. During its pilot period, Andemo recorded 1,750 downloads, with 87% of users accessing the app an average of three times per day. Surveys indicated that 77% of users felt the platform improved their travel experience, while 56% reported a higher awareness of sustainable mobility.
In Detroit, the challenge focused on demonstrating clean freight solutions within the Eastern Market district to reduce fossil fuel use and lower freight costs. With the conclusion of the competition, the winning innovators will now shift their focus to scaling their respective solutions to create a lasting impact in their cities.
