An Urban Agenda for Autonomous Vehicles: Embedding Planning Principles into Technological Deployment

2019Year 25 Final ReportPDFTech ReportMITR25-49DTRT13-G-UTC31Autonomous vehiclesUrban transportationTransportation planningUnited StatesNew England University Transportation CenterZhao, JinhuaMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyNew England University Transportation CenterUnited States. Department of Transportation. University Transportation Centers (UTC) ProgramUniversity Transportation Centers Program (U.S.)US Transportation CollectionAutonomous vehicles (AVs) are poised to dramatically reshape the transportation system. They are likely to have significant consequences on urban transportation issues: energy use, vehicle miles traveled, the need for neighborhood parking, the ease of accessing employment, and the incidence of pollution\u2014in both positive and negative directions. National level governments have typically played the primary roles in overseeing transportation policies, but such actors pay little attention to urban policy and are likely to simply reaffirm the status quo of a privately owned, car-dominated transportation system in their approach to AVs. Municipal policy, on the other hand, offers the opportunity to intervene on behalf of improved planning outcomes, yet most cities thus far lack a coherent strategy or sufficient capacity to respond to technological innovation in transportation. Our research is intended to fill this gap, offering approaches that allow cities to welcome AVs into their transportation systems while also aiding municipalities in achieving their planning goals. We conduct new survey- and model-based research to assess the potential implications of varying AV-focused planning policies, while providing new materials and conducting significant outreach to local government officials.88