Meet the forward thinkers

Michael E. Arth: pedestrianize

Michael

Consider the implications of zero-emission, self-driving cars, which are already being tested in prototype. With enlightened public policy, autonomous vehicles could replace most privately owned vehicles within a decade. If you can have any kind of vehicle (even a small two-wheeled conveyance) come to you when you need it, at less cost and with greater safety, you don’t need to own a car. Over 90% of the time, private cars are parked somewhere, taking up space and resources. If people don’t own cars, a smaller number of vehicles can be in near-constant circulation, thus reducing the overall numbers by 80-90%. This would allow us to convert most parking spaces and garages to more useful and attractive uses. We could also pedestrianize more streets and convert on-street parking lanes into medians for street trees and wider sidewalks. Continue reading

Andreas Leo: intelligent apps for a better connected and multi-modal mobility

Leo Passbild

Future mobility in 2050 will be connected and multi-modal mobility. Using our smartphones with intelligent apps (better: one intelligent app which includes all) we could always find the best transport solution to travel from A to B – globally and not restricted to intra-urban travels. And: yes, there will be lots of electric mobility as well. Continue reading

Eimantas Liudvinovicius + Simon Majdrup Hansen (BIKWAY): car-free urban areas

Eimantas-Simon-nextmobility-profile-bearb

What we do now defines the future. This is why it is important that visions are linked to action that we can do today. It’s important that people can relate to why we’re doing what we’re doing now, since it bridges the gap between the tangible experience and the imagined future. Visions also need a strong understanding of the challenges we’re facing today and the ability to project those issues into the future, assuming that no-one is addressing them and takes action to change them. Continue reading

Maxim Nohroudi: smart grid for traffic data

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In my vision for 2050, we have intelligent, self-learning & zero-emission transport grids. All transport vehicles – cars, bikes, motorcycles, busses or even tramways – communicate with each other. All this data goes into a smart grid which optimizes our traffic, reduces congestion, delays and accidents. Kids could even run onto a street without running the risk of being injured. Public transit systems have high comfort & quality standards. People even prefer it over having their own vehicle. It’s just so much more fun & comfortable! Continue reading