The unstoppable forces of automation and artificial intelligence are rapidly changing the way we move through, work in and design cities. Technological advancements are transforming the mobility environment as a wide range of companies continue investing billions of dollars to develop, test and deploy autonomous vehicles. As a result, cities nationwide are now hosting autonomous vehicle pilots that are being developed in a multitude of ways, with different choices and approaches instituted by city and state governments. Before long, autonomous vehicles will be ubiquitous on roadways, but the full story has not yet been written — cities need to be in the driver’s seat as we transform from the current mobility environment to our autonomous future.
This municipal action guide is meant to give cities the ability to better understand and approach the impending rollout of autonomous vehicles in their cities. We hope to lay out the current typologies of how cities and other levels of government are working together with the private sector to begin to integrate self-driving cars onto the roadways. Within this action guide we provide the reader with:
- Analysis of the current legal/ regulatory structure
- The state of AV pilot programs
- City approaches to AV pilots
- Best practices from cities throughout the country
- Action steps on city leadership to move forward
The autonomous future is already starting to unfold, but city leaders have the opportunity to play a more informed, active role in shaping it.