New Mobilities: Smart Planning for Emerging Transportation Technologies

A renowned transportation researcher assesses emerging transportation options, offering much-needed advice to planners implementing these new technologies.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 31 August 2021
Publisher: Island Press

New transportation technologies have the potential to revolutionize our world and enhance our mobility. Over the past century, motorized modes of transportation have significantly increased our ability to move around, bringing about numerous benefits. However, they have also come with significant costs to individuals and communities.

In the past, faster and more expensive modes of transportation were often favored over more affordable, efficient, and healthy options. As new transportation innovations emerge, such as e-scooters, autonomous cars, and ride-hailing services, it is crucial to make decisions that prioritize the well-being of our communities.

In his book, New Mobilities: Smart Planning for Emerging Transportation Technologies, transportation expert Todd Litman explores 12 emerging transportation modes and services that are likely to have a significant impact on our lives. These include bike- and carsharing, micro-mobilities, ride hailing and micro-transit, public transit innovations, telework, autonomous and electric vehicles, air taxis, mobility prioritization, and logistics management.

These innovations offer unprecedented opportunities for people to travel, but they can also impose significant costs on users and communities. Planners need comprehensive information about the potential benefits and impacts of these new technologies to make informed decisions.

Litman critically evaluates these new technologies and services, examining how they are likely to affect travel activity, consumer costs and affordability, roadway infrastructure design and costs, parking demand, land use development patterns, public safety and health, energy and pollution emissions, and economic opportunity and fairness. He provides practical guidance for optimizing these new modes of transportation to ensure that they benefit society as a whole.

Public policies surrounding New Mobilities have the power to create a well-planned transportation system that utilizes new technologies intelligently or to create a poorly planned system that is over-reliant on fossil fuels and contributes to environmental degradation. By adopting smart planning practices and policies, we can ensure that the benefits of new transportation innovations are maximized while minimizing their negative impacts.

In conclusion, new transportation technologies have the potential to expand our world and improve our quality of life. However, it is essential to make decisions that prioritize the well-being of our communities and the environment. By examining the potential benefits and impacts of these new technologies and adopting smart planning practices, we can create a transportation system that is sustainable, efficient, and accessible to all.

Weight: 290g
Dimension: 154 x 227 x 15 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781642831450