Dr. Qisheng Pan Proposes a Grant to "Build Back Better Regional Challenge"
Dr. Qisheng Pan, Professor of Public Affairs and Planning and Director of the CTEDD Center, has organized a coalition to answer the call of Build Back Better (BBB) Regional Challenge grant, which is a part of Economic Development Administration (EDA)’s American Rescue Plan with a total of $1 billion funding.
The proposal plans to transform 20-30 economically distressed regions through substantial investment groups of 3-8 projects for 427-75 million per region, which totals the proposal up to $100 million. The coalition has a vision to lead the transition of the freight transportation industry in the Texas Triangle Region through advanced technologies like autonomous trucks and innovative policies on equity and sustainable development. Projects aim to collectively address the following outcomes:
- Develop long-term transformational vision and execution plan for a region’s industry
- Integrate efforts across diverse stakeholders and communities
- Advance equity and support economically disadvantaged communities
- Increase regional innovation and entrepreneurship capacity
- Foster and grow a workforce for industry
- Build assets and infrastructure for growth
- Catalyze private sector investment and tangible outcomes for regional growth
The coalition is composed of academic units, local government agencies, non-profit organizations (NGOs), industrial partners, etc. The academic units include University of Texas at Arlington, Texas A&M University, Texas Southern University, University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Utah. The local government agencies in our coalition include the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), the Houston Galveston Area Council (H-GAC), and the City of Arlington, Texas. The NGO and industrial partners include the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), the AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone (MIZ), Texas Research Alliance, North Texas Commission, etc.
Dr. Pan’s proposal has passed the internal review and will be submitted soon.