Abstract

There is a deficiency of supportive evidence to verify thesis that cities are prepared for mobility revolution which already begun and will advance exponentially. Furthermore, present revisions mostly emphasize how emerging mobility solutions will alter transport efficiency or affect mass transit usage, rather than on urban morphology, metropolitan society, nor local communities. Author is thoroughly concerned that municipalities do not prepare absorption strategies before automated vehicles - developed by incumbents of automotive industry OEMs - will become ubiquitous. In his previous research the author distinguished e.g. the following emerging technical and organizational automated mobility solutions: autonomous automobiles, self-driving cars and driverless shuttles. This paper presents assumptions based on historical evidence on personal mobility and current research related to each of the solution on metropolitan area. Solutions will have various results depending on morphology of metropolises, their urban core, suburban sprawl or functional hinterland. The author discusses assumptions for benefits and disadvantages emerging from each spatial-technical relationship - the usability and ability to harm cities caused by ubiquitous automated mobility (similarly to ubiquitous kitchen knives). He proposes how to avoid side effects and how to approach the optimal results from implementing new transport technologies. Due to the lack of data, for the research purpose the author will use scenarios method and will verify results with the help of the experts panel with the use of Delphi technique. The results should be used by municipalities (town and transportation planners) for better preparation for technological diffusion of automation in transport. Further, the case study will be necessary to prove each assumed impact.

Author (1)