Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - November 2022 - 24

Emerging Technologies
Fig. 7: The future of accessibility will significantly impact the future of cities.
best design is the simplest one that works. " This principle
is destined to wash over the auto industry like a
tsunami, especially as accessibility machines become
tailored for specific market segments.
Future accessibility enhancements will fundamentally
change how we live. Consider cities: throughout
the history of civilization, people and enterprises have
located in cities to access markets, workers, goods,
jobs, education, ideas, religion, culture, knowledge
and healthcare. These fundamental drivers of urbanization
now are being redefined by enhanced accessibility
and megatrends reshaping activities (Fig. 7).
Remote work, e-commerce, telehealth, online
learning, streaming and virtual/augmented reality
all enable us to access jobs, goods, services, knowledge
and entertainment without having to reside in
or commute to cities. Accessibility enhancements
are transforming whether, where, when and how we
travel, and where and how we use our time.
Based on the future of accessibility, fundamental
assumptions about cities, suburbs and rural
areas likely will no longer apply. This has significant
implications for future public policy and geopolitical
dynamics. Consider the following questions:
* How will people work, consume, learn and
socialize in the future?
* How will businesses produce, distribute and
innovate in the future?
* Where will people live and businesses locate?
* What is the future of people movement vs.
goods movement?
* What will the " experience economy " entail?
* Why will people want to live in cities in the
future?
Policymakers need to rethink infrastructure
investments. Investing in accessibility infrastructure
means transportation, communication and information
infrastructure should be planned, designed, and
operated as an integrated system, not as individual
silos managed by different government departments
and agencies.
Fueled by the digital age, accessibility innovation
continues to accelerate. While many with vested
interest in the past would like to slow or derail this
change, the value it offers people, businesses and
society makes it inevitable. ■
Lawrence D. Burns, Ph.D, advises organizations on the future
of mobility, logistics, manufacturing, energy and innovation.
His current clients include Wejo, Niron Magnetics, Neural
Propulsion Systems, Nanoramics, and Kitson & Partners. Larry
served as General Motors corporate VP of R&D and planning
from 1998-2009. Between 2010 and 2016, he was professor of
Engineering Practice at the University of Michigan, director of
the Program for Sustainable Mobility at Columbia University,
and an advisor to several major companies. He is author of the
books Reinventing the Automobile (2010) and (with co-author
Christopher Shulgan) Autonomy: The Quest to Build the
Driverless Car (HarperCollins 2018).
24 November 2022
AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE ENGINEERING
Burns
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - November 2022

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