KnowledgeBase Collection
Autonomous Vehicles
American Planning Association
Autonomous and connected vehicle technology is expected to transform the nation’s transportation system over the coming decades, with major implications for the planning and design of cities and regions. Autonomous vehicles (AV), also known as driverless or self-driving cars, have been sharing city streets for several years.
This technology is moving very quickly, with the 11 largest automakers planning to have fully-autonomous vehicles on highways between 2018 and 2021 (arriving somewhat later in urban driving conditions). AV technology, as defined by the International Society of Automotive Engineers, ranges from a baseline of no automation, up to five levels of increasing autonomy:
- Level one, driver assistance (e.g., adaptive cruise control)
- Level two, partial automation (e.g., Tesla’s autopilot)
- Level three, conditional automation (e.g., human drivers serve as backup for an autonomous system that operates under certain conditions)
- Level four, high automation (e.g., Google/Waymo test cars)
- Level five, full automation (e.g., no steering wheel in the vehicle)
While private companies such as Google and Uber move forward with research, development, and pilot applications, and agencies such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration focus on deployment and safety issues, cities and regions need guidance so that they can prepare for the impacts of this transformative new technology.
From this page you can search for resources that provide background on autonomous vehicles and examples of how their widespread adoption will impact the transportation network and the built environment, as well as recommendations for policies that communities should consider to prepare themselves. And you can filter these search results by various geographic and demographic characteristics.
APA Resources
Planning for Autonomous Mobility
This PAS Report advises planners on how to prepare for and manage transitions to ensure their communities reap the benefits — and avoid the pitfalls — of autonomous vehicle technology.
Preparing Communities for Autonomous Vehicles
This report connects findings from a symposium and research on autonomous vehicles to prepare communities for changes in land-use planning, urban design, and transportation related to autonomous vehicles.
Autonomous Vehicles: Planning for Impacts on Cities and Regions
This web page contains information on APA's work to develop a playbook for cities and regions to maximize the benefits and minimize the potential negative consequences associated with the deployment of autonomous vehicles. It features four videos from a October 2017 symposium.
Getting Ready for Driverless Cars
This December 2017 edition of Zoning Practice discusses basic facts about driverless cars and summarizes how changes in travel behavior associated with fully autonomous vehicles will likely affect local zoning codes over the next 20 to 30 years.
Here Come the Robot Cars
This April 2017 Planning article outlines how autonomous vehicles will impact the built environment and the need for planners to take the lead in directing the impact of AVs on our communities.
Transportation Q&A - Disruption: AV and Tiny Cars
Planning editor in chief Meghan Stromberg has a conversation with Josh Westerhold, senior manager of Nissan’s Future Lab in the Planning magazine April 2017 issue.
DRIVERLESS VEHICLE BEST PRACTICES
The Commissioner addressed city policy opportunities related to driverless vehicles in December 2016.
When Autonomous Cars Take to the Road
This May 2015 Planning article considers the optimistic and pessimistic views of the impacts of driverless vehicles and suggests what planners can do to prepare.
On Demand: Greater Sustainability with Autonomous Vehicles?
This recorded session from NPC 2017 explores the state of autonomous vehicle research and development, the range of challenges and opportunities automated vehicles present, from a variety of stakeholders, and what planners can do now to enable autonomous vehicle policies that have the greatest positive impact.
On Demand: Driverless Cars: Changing How You Plan
This recorded session from NPC 2017 discusses how autonomous vehicles will change the way we think about land-use needs, residential preferences, parking management, workspace needs, and myriad of other planning topics.
On Demand: The Future of Cities and Planning
This recorded session from NPC 2017 discusses the future of cities through three main trends: the use of technology in smart city design, the increase in automated vehicles and their effect on transportation and land use, and a focus on sustainable design.
NPC17 Special Plenary: How Technology Will Shape Urban Density
This video featuring Rohit Aggarwala of Sidewalk Labs delves into the complex issues surrounding the future of technology’s role in the realm of planning and contemplates if 21st century technology make cities more attractive, or less.
On Demand: Envisioning the City with Automated Vehicles
This course presents the results of facilitated sessions at the 2015 Florida Automated Vehicle Summit where planners, engineers, academics, auto industry representatives, and elected officials collaborated to envision the future with automated vehicles.
Equity and Access
Access to transportation is closely linked to opportunities for employment, education, healthcare, and recreation. If autonomous vehicles are thoughtfully implemented with access and equity in mind, AV technology can expand access to these resources for users of all ages, abilities, and incomes. However, cities must take an active role to ensure that AV does not reinforce existing disparities in access.
As the transportation industry, particularly the freight sector, transitions to fleets of autonomous vehicles, there will be economic implications in terms of job loss and dislocation. Policymakers and job training organizations will need to be cognizant of the impact on access to stable, well-paying jobs, as well as the skills required by those jobs.
Transportation Network
Autonomous vehicles will have a profound impact on the transportation ecosystem. The first use cases are expected to come in the form of fleets for shared mobility providers and freight transportation, in part due to the high costs associated with AV technology that will hinder mass adoption by private users. In addition to being a potential early adopted of AV, transit providers will need to take steps to ensure that the technology is used in way that enhances and improves the mobility of their riders.
Land Use and the Built Environment
The widespread deployment of autonomous vehicles for cities and metropolitan regions will change the way we design our public rights-of-way. Sensors will allow autonomous vehicles to travel closer together than human-controlled vehicles, reducing the necessary pavement width and freeing up space for wider sidewalks, bike lanes, and other amenities. Local zoning codes will need to address requirements for passenger loading and unloading, and parking needs will change drastically if a shared use model is employed. As cities transition away from ordinances that now require large amounts of land to be used for parking and circulation, they will need to determine how best to make use of that “extra” land through new approaches to land use and zoning.
Background Resources
Autonomous Vehicles | Self-Driving Vehicles Enacted Legislation
This website contains up-to-date, real-time information about state autonomous vehicle legislation that has been introduced in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Autonomous Vehicles: A Policy Preparation Guide
This guide provides an overview of AV technology and answers frequently asked questions for city leaders on manufacturers, public policy considerations, municipal coordination, and infrastructure investment.
City of the Future: Technology and Mobility
This report focuses on the nexus between mobility and technology and draws conclusions from a variety of sources, including existing literature, expert interviews and transportation plans.
Federal Automated Vehicles Policy: Accelerating the Next Revolution in Roadway Safety (AV 1.0)
This federal policy provides agency guidance to speed the delivery of an initial regulatory framework and best practices to guide manufacturers and other entities in the safe design, development, testing, and deployment of highly automated vehicles.
Taming the Autonomous Vehicle: A Primer for Cities
This briefing paper offers insights on the big trends taking shape in AV, and the consensus among experts about the nature and pace of future developments over the next 15-20 years.
Ten Rules for Cities About Automated Vehicles
This article offers ten suggestions for cities to consider how autonomous vehicles can help maximize mobility for the greatest number of people, with the most positive outcomes for society.
The Future is Now: The Technology and Policy of Self-Driving Cars
This report presents background information on AV technology, the roles of state and federal government, and considerations for state policy.
Reports
AVs in the Pacific Northwest: Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions in a Time of Automation
This report analyzes the potential effects of autonomous vehicles on greenhouse gas emissions in Portland, Oregon; Seattle; and Vancouver, British Columbia.
Adopting and Adapting: States and Automated Vehicles
This report provides guidance on how states should prepare for an automated future by adapting their approach to motor vehicle regulations, infrastructure investment, and research.
Advancing Automated and Connected Vehicles: Policy and Planning Strategies for State and Local Transportation Agencies
This report provides actions for agencies seeking to increase the social benefit of automated and connected vehicles.
Analysis of Autonomous Vehicle Policies
This report discusses connected and autonomous vehicle technology, federal and state level policy approaches, and considerations for moving forward with autonomous vehicles in Kentucky.
Automated and Connected Vehicles: Summary of the 9th University Transportation Centers Spotlight Conference
This report summarizes plenary sessions focused on institutional and policy issues, infrastructure design and operations, planning, and modal applications.
Autonomous Vehicle Implementation Predictions: Implications for Transport Planning
This report explores the impacts that autonomous vehicles are likely to have on travel demands and transportation planning.
Articles
Assessing the Long-term Effects of Autonomous Vehicles: A Speculative Approach
This article explores how autonomous vehicles could affect the attractiveness of traveling by car, how this in turn could affect mode choice, and how changes in mode choice would affect the broader transportation system.
Automated Vehicle Regulatory Challenges: Avoiding Legal Potholes through Collaboration
This article offers an introduction to the regulatory landscape and challenges that come with automated vehicles.
Autonomous Vehicles: Developing a Public Health Research Agenda to Frame the Future of Transportation Policy
This article examines the prospective public health implications arising from the widespread adoption of fully autonomous vehicles and analyzes how they can be considered in the development of transportation policy.
Autonomous Vehicles: Hype and Potential
This article states that the best of AV technology is in shared vehicles and a new generation of transit options.
Cautious Optimism About Driverless Cars and Land Use in American Metropolitan Areas
This article looks at the potential for driverless cars to enable beneficial changes in land use.
Choice and Speculation
This article highlights the labor savings that can result from replacing human with machine labor and the separation of vehicle from owner/operator made possible by the technology.
Briefing Papers
Autonomous Vehicle Technology: How to Best Realize Its Social Benefits
This research brief examines the current state and potential benefits of autonomous vehicles and provides guidance for policymakers.
Can We Advance Social Equity with Shared, Autonomous and Electric Vehicles?
This brief focuses on the need for autonomous vehicle policy development to have an intentional focus on equity so that it does not exacerbate existing barriers or increase inequality.
Land Use and Transportation Policies
This briefing paper explores how revolutions in vehicle sharing, automation and electrification present new challenges and also great opportunities for land use and transportation planners.
Local Government 2035: Strategic Trends and Implications of New Technologies
This paper illustrates how technological advancements, including autonomous vehicles, will introduce data privatization challenges and destabilize existing governance systems.
Preparing a Nation for Autonomous Vehicles: Opportunities, Barriers and Policy Recommendations
This paper explores the feasible aspects of AVs and discusses their potential impacts on the transportation system.
Taming the Autonomous Vehicle: A Primer for Cities
This briefing paper offers insights on the big trends taking shape in AV, and the consensus among experts about the nature and pace of future developments over the next 15-20 years.
Guides
Automated Driving Systems 2.0: A Vision for Safety
This guide provides safety recommendations for autonomous vehicle adoption.
Autonomous Vehicle Technology: A Guide for Policymakers
This guide explores policy issues, communications, regulation and standards, and liability issues raised by the autonomous vehicle technology and concludes with some tentative guidance for state and federal policymakers.
Autonomous Vehicles: A Policy Preparation Guide
This guide provides an overview of AV technology and answers frequently asked questions for city leaders on manufacturers, public policy considerations, municipal coordination, and infrastructure investment.
Discussion Guide for Automated and Connected Vehicles, Pedestrians, and Bicyclists
This guide presents key challenge areas related to AV, pedestrians, and bicyclists that should be at the center of AV discussions along with a glossary of important terms and key references.
Driverless Seattle: How Cities Can Plan for Automated Vehicles
This guide identifies how Seattle and other municipalities can support autonomous vehicles in urban spaces.
Driving Towards Driverless: A Guide for Government Agencies
This guide outlines the role of government in the integration of driverless vehicles in society.
Comprehensive Plans
Atlanta, GA, The Atlanta Region’s Plan
The region’s comprehensive plan discusses autonomous vehicles, creative placemaking, and environmental resources.
Madison, WI, Comprehensive Plan
This comprehensive plan belongs to the Autonomous Vehicles, Smart Cities, and Urban Agriculture collections.
NYMTC, NY, Plan 2045 Maintaining the Vision for a Sustainable Region
This comprehensive plan discusses future trends that impact transportation systems, including autonomous vehicles.
Functional Plans
Arlington, TX, Connect Arlington: A Transportation Vision Connecting People and Places
This functional plan provides recommendations from the city of Arlington, Texas's Transportation Advisory Committee on how to best connect citizens to and from destination points within six priority corridors.
Austin, TX, Smart Mobility Roadmap
This functional plan belongs to the Autonomous Vehicles and Smart Cities collections.
Boston, MA, Go Boston 2030 Vision and Action Plan
The long term mobility plan for the city of Boston includes a set of goals and inspirational targets, along with a set of projects and policies that aim to provide the transportation network with the necessary flexibility to accommodate disruptive mobility technologies.
CAMPO, DCHC MPO, NC, Connect 2045: The Metropolitan Transportation Plan
This functional plan explores the role of transportation technology, including autonomous vehicles, on communities in North Carolina.
Capital District Transportation Committee, New Visions 2040 Regional Transportation Plan
This transportation plan for the Albany, NY area includes a section on new visions and technology, such as self-driving cars, that will have wide-reaching impacts on future transportation.
Cincinnati, OH, 2018 Green Cincinnati Plan
This functional plan connects autonomous vehicles to sustainable development goals in Cincinnati.
subarea Plans
San Jose, CA, Stevens Creek Boulevard Urban Village Plan
This subarea plan includes goals and polices related to autonomous vehicles as part of the Circulation and Streetscape section.
Standalone Policies
Austin, TX, Resolution No. 20141211-112
This standalone policy supports the development of automated and connected vehicles in Austin.
Austin, TX, Resolution No. 20170302-039
This standalone policy mandates the development of a functional plan addressing autonomous vehicles implementation in Austin, entitled “The New Mobility EV/AV Plan.”
Federal Automated Vehicles Policy: Accelerating the Next Revolution in Roadway Safety (AV 1.0)
This federal policy provides agency guidance to speed the delivery of an initial regulatory framework and best practices to guide manufacturers and other entities in the safe design, development, testing, and deployment of highly automated vehicles.
Regulations
Chandler, AZ, Code of Ordinances
The city's zoning code allows parking reductions to support autonomous vehicles and accessory solar energy systems by right.
Staff Reports
Adoption of a Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to Regulate Operation of Personal Delivery Devices, also known as Autonomous Robots, within Palo Alto
This staff report contains a draft resolution that was adopted by the city of Palo Alto, CA to create a procedure for allowing autonomous delivery vehicles to operate within the city right-of-way.
Clearinghouses
Autonomous Vehicles | Self-Driving Vehicles Enacted Legislation
This website contains up-to-date, real-time information about state autonomous vehicle legislation that has been introduced in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Co-operative Mobility Systems and Automated Driving Roundtable
This clearinghouse contains resources that address different considerations for incorporating autonomous vehicles into transportation systems.
Florida Automated Vehicles Research Projects
This clearinghouse presents research projects related to autonomous vehicle, including reports that assess Florida’s readiness to incorporate autonomous vehicles.
Transportation Planning Capacity Building: Connected and Automated Vehicles
This clearinghouse provides links to resources that inform planners about connected and automated vehicles.
Web Pages
ARC, GA, Preparing for Autonomous and Connected Vehicles
This web page identifies autonomous vehicles as one of the top ten challenges facing the Atlanta region.
Autonomous Vehicle (AV) Initiative
This web page summarizes the City of Beverly Hills's initiative to test and deploy a municipal fleet of driverless vehicles.
Autonomous Vehicles: Boston's Approach
This web page summarizes Boston's plans for testing autonomous vehicles and their potential future within the city.
Autonomous Vehicles: Future Scenarios
This web page explores four future scenarios related to autonomous vehicles, focusing on mobility, sustainability, jobs and the economy, and urban transformations.
Driverless Future: A Policy Roadmap for City Leaders
This web page identifies six major priorities for policymakers to protect against the risks and maximize the potential benefits of AV.
How Will Automated Vehicles Influence the Future of Travel?
This web page provides findings from a test of how AVs might change the predicted outcomes of seven regional travel models from around the U.S.
Videos
Autonomous Vehicles: The Public Policy Imperatives
This video discusses five areas where AVs will have significant implications for public policy and service: infrastructure investment, licensing and road traffic regulations, revenue, spatial planning, and security.
Impact of Emerging Technologies on Complete Streets
This video examines the ways in which emerging technologies impact how cities will operate, accommodate growth, manage congestion, improve the economy, increase safety, and improve quality of life.
Innovative Transportation: ON TO 2050 Alternative Future
This video considers how rapidly-evolving transportation technology rapidly can be harnessed to improve lives, local communities, and the Chicago region's economy.
Road Updates Benefit Both Autonomous Vehicles and Human Motorists
This video discusses California’s push to modify roadways to accommodate driverless car technology.
Watch a Fully Autonomous Tesla Drive Through the City and Find a Parking Spot
This video shows how an autonomous vehicle navigates through a city and parks itself without any human input.
Blog Posts
3 Ways that Cities Can Prepare for Automated Vehicles Today
This blog post discusses how AV operations are expanded and describes actions cities have taken to prepare for autonomous vehicles.
Despite Ongoing Safety Concerns, Autonomous Vehicles Expected in Operation by 2021
This blog post presents highlights from a panel that discussed implementing AV in cities.
How Will Autonomous Vehicles Transform the Built Environment?
This blog post summarizes APA's October 2017 symposium on the impacts of AV on cities and regions.
Parking Demand in the Autonomous Vehicle Era
This blog post explores three scenarios for implementing autonomous vehicle technology and how they may impact parking demand.
People-Driven Design: Planning for the Urban Future of Autonomous Vehicles
This blog post describes and provides visual representations of how adopting AV can improve urban livability.
Time for Autonomous Vehicles to Disrupt Transportation Planning
This blog post considers how autonomous vehicles can impact transportation planning and highlights a gap in transportation planning and technological developments.