Self-driving cars, transformative change, and the future of city living: Emilia M. Bruck on her in-depth analysis on self-driving cars and an automated future

Technology is rapidly changing the world we live in. The introduction of new approaches and systems underpinned by technological advancements poses challenges for all members of society. Over the past two decades, interest and investment in automated vehicles have soared, urging researchers, policymakers, and city administrators to ponder how self-driving cars will shape the urban landscape for millions of people around the world.  

Emilia M. Bruck is a Mobility Network postdoctoral fellow at the Institute for Management & Innovation (IMI) whose research probes how the advent of novel and innovative technologies relates to change in urban policy, spatial planning, and city living. Her doctoral thesis, titled “Weighing the Transformative Potential of Automated Mobility,” is a robust exploration of how the rise of self-driving contributes to transformative urban change. Bruck is particularly interested in the role of municipal planning. She poses the question of whether the “technological system change in the early 20th century is causing planning to change” and asks what role planning officials play in making sure an automated future benefits the wellbeing of communities. Bruck’s work incorporates insights from theories on social innovation and planning culture to analyze the advent of automated transportation through the frame of cultural shifts, “technological developments, behaviour change, and policy adjustments.”  

The importance of planning officials 

The world has yet to make self-driving cars a fully fleshed reality, but this will likely change in the future. As such, innovative transportation technologies are no longer just a scientific success story, nor do they rely upon just engineers to work properly in and for society. One of the main ideas from Bruck’s research is that the success of an automated mobility future relies as much on the urban planning practices and policy decisions of city officials as it does on scientists and engineers. According to Bruck’s work, introducing automated vehicles into our everyday lives will be a gradual yet significant shift that requires planning decisions to steer the direction of change. 

As with most technologies, self-driving transportation poses both advantages and threats. On the one hand, the mass introduction of automated vehicles may work to increase safety standards, reduce costs, and compensate for the inconvenience of time wasted while driving. They are also expected to bolster accessibility efforts and free up road space that can be repurposed for other urban utilities (e.g., more green spaces).  

But an automated future also poses the risk of unintended consequences, such as the growth of overall traffic & congestion, decline of public transport & active mobility, and increased urban sprawl. Other potential concerns include cyberattacks and hacking, as well as ethical quandaries: the decision-making capacities programmed into self-driving cars are determined by engineers. Does this undermine the moral authority of the driver who owns the car, even if they are not driving it? What type of social biases may be unintentionally programmed into the vehicle? And who rightfully deserves blame when accidents happen? These questions, and more, show that regulating the advent of self-driving cars is of ethical, societal, and environmental importance. 

Yet all too often we only discuss technologies in relation to how advanced, efficient, or convenient they are. With respect to self-driving cars in particular, “we often do not think of the ripple effects or the cascading effects [their introduction could cause]. How do [these technologies] not only affect mobility systems, but also our urban environment; how does their use affect public health; how does it affect social justice questions...” reflects Bruck. Research shows that the reality is complex: automated driving and automated vehicles can have both positive and negative effects on all spheres—the environment, the public, and built form—and “it is up to cities to design regulations that mitigate adverse effects and harness the positive effects,” argues Bruck. 

What does the future of transformational change look like? 

In her thesis, Bruck addresses the sensationalism that often surrounds self-driving cars, citing that our visions of a fully automated transportation system overestimate the pace of change. “It will take time. The transition [to automated driving] is gradual. I don’t believe it will be imminently disruptive as it has been argued or claimed, especially by the industry.” Research shows that it might be decades before fleets of fully automated vehicles can safely navigate urban streets under all traffic and weather conditions: “what we will see instead is a long phase of mixed traffic environments,” explains Bruck, “that is, a mix between conventionally driven vehicles and vehicles that have different levels of automation.” Cities are challenged to prioritize use cases that deliver environmental and societal benefits, define operational areas, and ensure safe interaction between different road users. 

In addition, Bruck provides a detailed explanation of what transformational change means for planning practice and how it unfolds incrementally, over long periods of time. Through her case study on Toronto’s planning initiatives, Bruck’s research reveals that adaptive and flexible planning, pluralistic thinking, and transdisciplinary actions are core principles in managing the transition to automated technologies. Policymakers and planners need to pursue dynamic and flexible solutions to problems that may arise. Bruck comments that “technology changes really quickly, and so cities need to be able to respond, [be] open to unexpected change, open to innovate, and open to taking risks.” Faculties that are not typically associated with public administrations.  

Moving forward 

In the future, Bruck plans to continue exploring how governments and planners can better respond to innovative technologies, and how best to rethink regulations to ensure transformative changes align with broader public interests. But Bruck also wants to expand her skills and knowledge on answering new questions: “I am interested in how different-sized municipalities adapt to change, what challenges they are facing, and how learning between cities happens,” she explains, “my personal interest [is to do] research that empowers cities and municipalities to be proactive [and have control over the direction of change new technologies demand].”