Policy and Planning Opportunities of Self-Driving Vehicles

Abstract

The "future" of self-driving vehicles is quickly becoming reality. As these technologies make their way into the vehicles that get us from point A to point B, they are beginning to disrupt not only the way we think about transportation, but the way we relate to the built environment and organize the way we live. As planners and policymakers, we need to consider how to best take advantage of these changes: can we eliminate distracted driving, traffic congestion, and expensive parking? Will we be able to maintain an independent lifestyle later into life? Will we feel the need to own our own car? Can we adapt our land use to allow these changes to happen? Frank Douma, Director of the State and Local Policy Program at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, considers these questions.