Planning for a Future with Autonomous Vehicles

Planning for a Future with Autonomous Vehicles

Brown Bag with Asli Gocmen, Associate Professor of Geography & Environmental Studies

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) promise to be a transformative force to shape the future of our society. Their potential benefits for individuals and communities include increased traffic safety and efficiency; increased mobility for individuals who have limited mobility options; and increased accessibility for individuals with limited resources to access healthy food, jobs, education, and health care. AVs are also expected to significantly impact the way our land is used and have great implications for the sustainability and livability of our communities. For instance, in a future with AVs, parking needs could dramatically change, requiring urban planners to allocate parking spaces much differently than they have over the past several decades. So how are communities planning for this future? Our recent research examines that question through a survey of municipal planners across the United States. In this presentation, I present how AVs may impact our built and natural environment as well as findings from our survey. Our survey finds that for the most part, communities have not started planning for a future with AVs and that the conceptualization of AV impacts on the built and natural environment vary amongst planners.

Gocmen Brown Bag Poster