Construction World October 2019

be one of the test sites for flying taxi service UberAIR, the need for adaptation to these new breeds of transportation is becoming more urgent than ever. The shift from humans parking cars to self-parking AVs will also revolutionise the infrastructure required. In fact, multinational automotive corporation Daimler has partnered with Bosch to introduce a ‘fully-autonomous auto valet parking environment‘ at Mercedes World in Germany, where AVs can drop off passengers at the lobby and park themselves. MIT spin-off company WiTricity is currently developing an EV charger using patented magnetic resonance technology that enables a charging panel on the ground to transfer power wirelessly into the car. It’s not only about offering spaces for cars anymore; it’s about what the spaces can offer. From car parks to parks, office spaces and homes? But what if the great ‘carpocalypse‘ actually does descend on our cities? What do we do with this abandoned architecture, and what will we build? Kerbs will be reimagined, with the current idle space repurposed for the future as a buzzing hive of data collection thanks to AVs dropping off and picking up passengers. Parking spaces will be narrower, allowing our streets to accommodate more public transport and active movement. Parking lots could become green spaces to enhance liveability and encourage cycling, walking and outdoor living. Parking garages could present all kinds of conversion opportunities, ranging from office space to apartment blocks to fitness centres. Architecture firm Gensler proposes that the infrastructure could even be reworked into living and working “pods”: automated vehicles drive into their portals and open up into condensed living rooms, bathrooms and kitchens – the ‘ultimate micro unit’ of blended living design. Driving the shift All these, however, are more than merely about finding solutions and ways of repurposing parking lots if and when they become obsolete. This is about driving the shift towards a new vibrant, connected and sustainable urbanism. Jennifer Henaghan, Deputy Director of Research at the American Planning Association, believes the big question about the future of parking and kerbs is not a threat but a great opportunity for planners. “Should it be used for housing, do we want more people to come in? Do we need more retail space? Should it be more places to encourage civic gathering spaces and public activities, parks and things of that nature?” she asks. “That really gives cities an opportunity to examine their values and priorities and what it is that they want to do with this sudden influx of available land, which in many cities has been quite a rarity up until this point.” In addition to this, open source projects such as SharedStreets are doing what traditional maps cannot do, by building an open source infrastructure that enables public-private collaboration and empowers city stakeholders to inform better transport solutions for seamlessly connected streets. As AVs and other technological trends continue to converge, our city streets will naturally need to adapt and change. Governments will have to spearhead these conversations, looking at a whole suite of responsibilities including rezoning, new governance frameworks, new transport taxes, and investing in all kinds of new digital infrastructure and private partnerships to pull off true transformation. It’s no small feat, but it’s not really an option, is it? The cities that move faster towards change will be those who don’t put innovation ‘in park’, but instead drive it forward. 

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CONSTRUCTION WORLD OCTOBER 2019