Opinion Automated Vehicles Can’t Save Cities By Allison Arieff Contributing opinion writer on architecture and design
Illustrations by Olalekan Jeyifous
This is what streets looked like in the early 1900s.
There are people walking and riding bikes.
There are horses, pushcarts and even horseless carriages.
It’s chaos.
But it works because...
It’s chaos.
But it works because...
No single mode of transportation is privileged.
Look at that same street today.
It’s designed primarily for…
Look at that same street today.
It’s designed primarily for…
cars
and cars
and more cars
cars
and cars
and more cars
cars
and cars
and more cars
Google’s autonomous vehicle. Original footage from the Associated Press
Enter the autonomous vehicle.
Traffic in New Delhi. Chandan Khanna/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images
It’s one of the most talked about “solutions” to a host of urban problems…
Traffic in China. Associated Press
from traffic congestion
Traffic in China. Associated Press
to CO2 emissions and lack of green space.
But the reality is that AVs alone won’t save cities from these problems.
(They could actually make them worse.)
But the reality is that AVs alone won’t save cities from these problems.
(They could actually make them worse.)
Promise #1 AVs will reduce congestion by removing cars from the road.
In reality, all cars take up the same amount of road space. A street full of AVs will be just as congested as a street full of cars.
Promise #2 AVs could help create more public space because they would eliminate the need for parking structures.
This could happen, but for now few companies seem willing to build anything without space for cars. Take Apple’s new campus for example. It has a nearly equal ratio of office space to parking space.
Two parking structures on Apple’s Cupertino campus. Footage by Matthew Roberts
That’s enough room for 11,000 cars.
Promise #3 AVs will be shared, meaning fewer cars on the road.
Americans love their cars. Getting them to give up private car ownership to embrace carsharing may be more complicated than many think.
There are many more promises.
This just scratches the surface.
There are many more promises.
This just scratches the surface.
Traffic in Kenya. Adriane Ohanesian for The New York Times
Our driverless future can be one where many transportation problems are solved…
Associated Press
...or it can be dystopia.
We need to regulate how AVs will operate in cities sooner rather than later.
But more importantly, we need to design streets for...
We need to regulate how AVs will operate in cities sooner rather than later.
But more importantly, we need to design streets for...
people
not
cars.
people
not
cars.
people
not
cars.
When we think about designing the future city, let’s focus on…
Original Photo by Sam Hodgson for The New York Times
moving as
many people
as possible.
Original Photo by Sam Hodgson for The New York Times
moving as
many people
as possible.
Original Photo by Sam Hodgson for The New York Times
moving as
many people
as possible.
For a starting point, consider how many people can move through a city using each transportation option
Transit: 25,000 people per hour
Walking: 9,000 people per hour
Biking: 7,500 people per hour
Cars: 600 to 1,600 people per hour
Source: NACTO
Transit moves the most people – up to 25,000 people per hour
so make transit the first priority.
Transit moves the most people – up to 25,000 people per hour
so make transit the first priority.
Next comes walking, with 9,000 people per hour on new, larger sidewalks.
Dedicated bus lanes carry 8,000 passengers an hour. Two-way bike lanes carry 7,500 per hour. Those come next.
Whether they have drivers or not, cars move the fewest people per hour – about 600 to 1,600.
When we understand that urban transportation is about moving…
Original Photo by Joshua Bright for The New York Times
people
not
cars
Original Photo by Joshua Bright for The New York Times
people
not
cars
Original Photo by Joshua Bright for The New York Times
people
not
cars
our priorities for space and investment become obvious.
This is what the city of the future could be
if we regarded AVs as just one tool among many...
...for saving cities.
Automated Vehicles Can’t Save Cities
By Allison Arieff
Illustrations by Olalekan Jeyifous
Produced by Jessia Ma and Stuart A. Thompson
Special thanks Meg Merritt, Nelson/Nygaard, and Brian Jencek, HOK
Opinion Automated Vehicles Can’t Save Cities By Allison Arieff Contributing opinion writer on architecture and design
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