Dimension #8 – What if urban mobility were smooth and effortless?
By the year 2100, an estimated 10 billion people will be living in cities. In an urban future where more than twice as many of us commute, go shopping, take kids to school, visit parents in the suburbs and have goods shipped to the doorstep, city planners might be driven to their limits. After all, all these activities will put increasing strain on our urban mobility systems. That’s why our episode 8 embraces the idea of moving in different ways and explores forward-looking city designs that encourage individual mobility – while still making the most of our public spaces. Looking at the future of our cityscapes, Ricardia draws inspiration from city planner Doug Voigt, who turns abstract ideas into plausible and workable realities that improve life in both today’s and tomorrow’s cities. She also talks to a professor and city innovator who advocates for urban labs in which we can prototype new technologies and ways of living. Overall, she learns that if we want to shape future urban mobility the right way, then automated electric cars could make all the difference.