KnowledgeBase Collection

Autonomous Vehicles

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

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

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

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.

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.

Autonomous Vehicles and the Future of Parking

This report explains how travel behavior is changing and suggests initial policy-making efforts to guide decision making.

Beyond Speculation: Automated Vehicles and Public Policy

This report offers a set of 18 recommendations that address the most pressing policy issues for AVs at the city, state, and federal levels.

Blueprint for Autonomous Urbanism

This report shows how city policies must proactively guide the technology to prioritize people-centric design.

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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.

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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.

View all briefing papers

Guides

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

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.

Driving Towards Driverless: A Guide for Government Agencies

This guide outlines the role of government in the integration of driverless vehicles in society.

New Mobility Playbook

This guide offers a set of plays, policies, and strategies to foster new mobility options in Seattle while prioritizing safety, equity, affordability, and sustainability in the city's transportation system.

Paths of Automated and Connected Vehicle Deployment: Strategic Roadmap for State and Local Transportation Agencies

This guide looks at two scenarios for the deployment of automated and connected vehicle technologies within state and local transportation agencies.

Preparing for New Mobility: Writing Effective Resolutions

This guide offers advice to help cities prepare for autonomous technology by passing formal resolutions and setting smart mobility plans in motion.

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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 plan offers the city of Austin, Texas's approach to shared, electric, and autonomous vehicle technologies.

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.

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.

Los Angeles, CA, Urban Mobility in a Digital Age

This plan presents a transportation technology strategy for the city of Los Angeles.

San Antonio, TX, Multimodal Transportation Plan

This transportation plan is a long-range blueprint for travel and mobility in San Antonio and Bexar County, TX.

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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.

View all staff reports

Web PageS

Autonomous Vehicle (AV) Initiative

This web pages 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.

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.

GoMentum Station: Collaborations

This web page discusses the Contra Costa Transportation Authority's testing facility for autonomous and connected vehicle technology.

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.

Smart Autonomous Vehicles Initiative (SAVI)

This web page summarizes the city of Portland, Oregon's initiative to work with transportation providers and the public to implement testing and piloting of AV technology.

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