Bloomberg Philanthropies: Six Things Cities Need to Know About the Future of Autonomous Vehicles
Wired magazine named 2016 “the year of autonomous driving,” and CNN says we’ve reached “a tipping point for excitement in self-driving cars.” But too much attention has been on the vehicles themselves – the driverless cars, automated minibuses, adorable delivery bots, and high-efficiency trucks. The real story is how much Autonomous Vehicles could change the way we live and the shape of our communities in the coming decades.
Cities will be the main stage where this AV revolution plays out. Inexpensive, efficient, and flexible mobility made possible by AVs could transform urban economies, restructure the shape of neighborhoods and regions, and change the way cities respond to complex challenges, from aging populations to economic disenfranchisement. The impacts could be as far-reaching as those fostered by the automobile a century ago.
That’s why it’s so important for cities to start leading the shift to AVs now. And it’s why over the course of 2017, Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Aspen Institute will bring mayors and senior leaders from 10 cities together with leading industry and policy experts to help cities do just that. . .