Urbanism and mobility - new approaches to urban planning and design in the face of mobility innovations

Motorisation has fundamentally transformed patterns of urbanisation, from the micro to the macro scale: from residential parking and density norms on one hand to urban infrastructure capacity and density on the other hand. Automated vehicles (AVs) have the potential to transform urbanisation patterns and the quality of cities and urban spaces even further. A key question is which directions this technology will affect urbanisation patterns and the attractiveness of the city ans urban spaces. Optimists point to the potential for AVs (especially when shared) to substantially reduce the total number of vehicles in the city, creating the opportunity for more car-free areas (e.g. parks, squares) whereas pessimists speak of the risk of increased suburbanisation as a result of increased opportunities to work (or relax) while travelling in AVs, thereby increasing travel time and distance. In short, the jury is still out concerning the future impacts of AVs on urban form, and the quality and use of urban public space that may result. Meanwhile, the implications for the urban planning and design remains highly speculative. This research sets out to examine new approaches and tools to urban planning and design in the face of mobility systems innovations, and to determine which and how they can offer desirable models of urban development in the long term.