Toyota Mobility Foundation Backs Innovative Crowd Solutions With USD 3M Challenge

The Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF) today announced five finalists for the USD 3 million Sustainable Cities Challenge, focused on transforming crowd management solutions in Varanasi's historic city, Kashi.

Developed in collaboration with the City of Varanasi, Challenge Works, and the World Resources Institute, the Challenge supports innovative solutions to ease congestion and improve pedestrian and pilgrimage flows through one of India's oldest and most sacred cities, which welcomes millions of visitors each year.

The Challenge attracted entries from innovators worldwide, with ten semi-finalists being invited to further develop their concepts over a six-month period. From that group, five have now been selected as finalists following a rigorous evaluation from a panel of expert judges.

Finalists were chosen based on criteria including innovation in crowd management, effectiveness, supporting data, potential to scale, and team capacity. Judges looked for solutions that could support in managing large crowds, improve the safety, accessibility, and navigability of narrow lanes, and meaningfully alter crowd behaviour - all while demonstrating a strong understanding of the needs of locals, tourists, and the feasibility of implementation. Each team was required to present a clear demonstration plan with measurable KPIs to support long-term impact and scalability.

A panel of five judges, bringing together expertise in data-driven technology, sustainable mobility, and urban design, alongside deep knowledge of local business and community needs, selected the following finalists:

Arcadis - Arcadis is a leading company delivering intelligence-driven sustainable design, engineering, and consultancy solutions for natural and built assets. The team solution is an integrated solution called SANKALP, an ecosystem of interconnected technologies designed to shift from reactive measures to proactive, intelligent crowd management. SANKALP will use real-time data, advanced simulation, mobile technology, and integrated communications platforms to keep people moving safely and efficiently.

CITYDATA, Inc. - CITYDATA.ai is a big data and AI company that delivers mobility intelligence to foster smarter, safer, more sustainable, and resilient urban environments. The team's solution is CityFlow, a cloud-based solution that uses big data, computer vision, and generative AI to measure, analyze, simulate, and manage crowds in real time. Built on the MASI framework, it delivers actionable insights without the need for new hardware.

VOGIC AI - VOGIC AI is at the forefront of Vision AI for public good, transforming video data into real-time intelligence for defense, smart cities, and crowd-sensitive public spaces. VOGIC AI's solution is Behtar-Way, India's first AI-powered, hyperlocal community-first pedestrian navigation platform. The team's solution will help guide citizens through safer, alternative routes and equip city officials with real-time crowd intelligence.

Prameya Consulting Private Limited - Prameya Consulting Pvt. Ltd. is an urban planning and strategy firm that aims to drive urban transformation through collaborative problem-solving and strategic planning. The team's solution is Nayichaal, a phygital AI ecosystem combining a chatbot, navigation app, wayfinding signage, and a mobility dashboard to improve mobility, inclusivity, and safety.

The Urbanizer - The Urbanizer is a pioneering urban design, landscape design, and architecture firm based in India. They specialize in creating vibrant, sustainable urban spaces through a data-driven and human-centric approach. The team's solution is Jan Jatra, a people-first mobility solution blending local insights with color-coded wayfinding, dynamic digital signage, and other tactical urbanism strategies to improve navigation and safety.

Each finalist team will receive $130,000 in implementation funding to demonstrate and test their proposed solutions in Kashi.

Pras Ganesh, Executive Program Director, Toyota Mobility Foundation, said: "The Varanasi Sustainable City Challenge journey has been truly inspiring. From a field of global innovators, these finalists stood out for their creative, practical, and contextual approaches to one of the world's most complex mobility environments. As we move into the next phase, we're excited to see how their solutions are implemented on the ground, not only to improve movement with convenient and safe access in Kashi, but to create a benchmark on how other heritage-rich, high-density cities around the world can tackle similar challenges with empathy and innovation."

Mr. Vikram Gulati, Country Head and Executive Vice President - Corporate Affairs and Governance, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, said: "We are truly inspired by the commitment and ingenuity of the five finalists, whose solutions offer new and exciting possibilities for managing crowd in Varanasi. Their innovations have the potential to transform historic cities and set new global standards in crowd management and urban mobility. We remain committed to championing ideas that reflect our mission of 'Mobility for All' and help shape a more sustainable and inclusive future for cities around the world."