Mobility improvements included in the Innovation District project in Richardson will receive financial backing through a new grant program.

Made to Move is an initiative spearheaded by Degree Deodorant and Blue Zones that rewards cities for promoting healthy, active lifestyles, according to a Sept. 18 release from Unilever. Forty-seven cities applied for the program; only five were chosen to split the $500,000 grant award.

The other winners were Hartford, Connecticut; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Jersey City, New Jersey; and Chattanooga, Tennessee.

“From improving trails to bike lanes, these winning communities are committed to creating environments that provide opportunities for a more active lifestyle," Unilever Deodorants Vice President Dawn Hedgepeth said in the release.

Winning cities will also have access to technical assistance from environment experts with Blue Zones, an organization that works to create healthy communities across the U.S.

Richardson will put the money toward a road diet along Greenville Avenue that will remove driving lanes in favor of bike lanes and a pedestrian crossing, Transportation Engineer Daniel Herrig said in the release.

The city believes this will better connect Dallas Area Rapid Transit riders coming from Arapaho Center Station to the Innovation District and vice versa, according to the release.