In New Mobilities: Smart Planning for Emerging Transportation Technologies, transportation expert Todd Litman examines 12 emerging transportation modes and services that are likely to significantly affect our lives: bike- and carsharing, micro-mobilities, ridehailing and micro-transit, public transit innovations, telework, autonomous and electric vehicles, air taxis, mobility prioritization, and logistics management. Public policies around New Mobilities can either help create heaven, a well-planned transportation system that uses new technologies intelligently, or hell, a poorly planned transportation system that is overwhelmed by conflicting and costly, unhealthy, and inequitable modes. His expert analysis will help planners, local policymakers, and concerned citizens to make informed choices about the New Mobility revolution.

Researchers developed two scenarios to envision the future of mobility in China in 2030. Economic growth, the presence of constraints on vehicle ownership and driving, and environmental conditions differentiate the scenarios. By making potential long-term mobility futures more vivid, the team sought to help decisionmakers at different levels of government and in the private sector better anticipate and prepare for change.

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are already on the road in test scenarios in multiple cities. This technology will result in dramatic changes for existing transportation systems and land use patterns, disrupting today’s planning practices. This study uses existing research about predicted implications of autonomous vehicles to build a criteria for evaluating existing comprehensive plans and transportation plans for municipalities in the Puget Sound Region. The results of this plan evaluation were then used to create interview questions for planners and policymakers to explore why plans do or do not take AVs and technology change into account. The results of this study demonstrate that most municipal planning documents do not mention or include thorough discussion of autonomous vehicles and their effects, and that public officials face significant uncertainties in how to best plan for autonomous vehicles despite being aware of the changes taking place and their potential impacts.

During the seventies and eighties, the industries associated with the transportation of goods and people have been exposed to some profound changes. The quickening pace of technological change - with its growing emphasis on telecommunications, knowledge-handling capacity, and air transportation - is increasing the discrete character of the world economy. Thus the network structure of global development patterns is becoming more important, with metropolitan centres as key nodes and rapid transportation routes as key links. In this evolutionary situation, changes in the preferred mix of transport modes are inevitable. The faster and more direct modes will be favoured, individually and in combination, and there will be an increasing interest in transportation policies and the provision of infrastructure. This volume contains a collection of innovative papers presented at the First International Conference on Transportation for the Future, held in Södertälje, Sweden in July 1988. Twenty industry leaders and prominent scientists from Europe, USA and Japan present their views about the ongoing transformation of production and distribution systems among firms striving for Just-In-Time methods, economies of scope, and a fully integrated approach to their economic activities. The future of passenger travel and infrastructure are also discussed. The resulting book presents a surprisingly consistent picture of how the transportation industries of the industrialized nations may be expected to grow and change in a long-term perspective.