What Color Is Your Horse?

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• How autonomous vehicle technology is impacting our cities
• How prior transportation technology advancements (horses, cars, and highways) is relevant to the advent of autonomous vehicles
• How autonomous vehicles may change rights of way and public spaces

MORE SESSION DETAILS

What color is your horse? Join the debate on the future impact of autonomous and connected vehicles on our cities. This session will juxtapose experts from the fields of transit planning, economics, development, urban design, history, and vehicle technology to debate key unanswered questions raised by the autonomous vehicle, with an appreciation for the significant impact that un-autonomous vehicles had on urban development in the 21st century — and the ongoing struggle to accommodate those vehicles into our urban environment. Autonomous vehicles eliminate the productivity penalty for long commutes, but reduce the need for vehicle storage. Does this lead to sprawl or more productive and vibrant downtowns? What is the future of the workplace when your commute enables you to perform most of your job while mobile? What are the implications for urban form of an autonomous fleet, and what might that fleet look like? What are the social-equity issues that will be impacted through these vehicles? What impact will autonomous vehicles have on the freeway system? What is the urban impact of the on-demand delivery economy? What does the street of the future look like, for vehicles, non-motorized vehicles, and pedestrians? Consider these questions — and more.