Implementing Connections: The Benefits for Greater Philadelphia

This analysis utilizes DVRPC's modeling capabilities to illustrate and quantify the benefits of implementing the policies and goals defined in the Connections Plan, through a Plan scenario, compared to a continuation of our region's business-as-usual Trend scenario. Both scenarios are set in the horizon year of the Plan, 2035, and compared to each other and current conditions (2010)

Planning for Density in a Driverless World

Automobile-centered, low-density development was the defining feature of population growth in the United States for decades. This development pattern displaced wildlife, destroyed habitat, and contributed to a national loss of biodiversity. It also meant, eventually, that commutes and air quality worsened, a sense of local character was lost in many places, and the negative consequences of sprawl impacted an increasing percentage of the population. Those impacts led to something of a shift in the national attitude toward sprawl. More people than ever are fluent in concepts of “smart growth,” “new urbanism,” and “green building,” and with these tools and others, municipalities across the country are working to redevelop a central core, rethink failing transit systems, and promote pockets of density. Changing technology may disrupt this trend. Self-driving vehicles are expected to be widespread within the next several decades. Those vehicles will likely reduce congestion, air pollution, and deaths, and free up huge amounts of productive time in the car. These benefits may also eliminate much of the conventional motivation and rationale behind sprawl reduction. As the time-cost of driving falls, driverless cars have the potential to incentivize human development of land that, by virtue of its distance from settled metropolitan areas, had been previously untouched. From the broader ecological perspective, each human surge into undeveloped land results in habitat destruction and fragmentation, and additional loss of biological diversity. New automobile technology may therefore usher in better air quality, increased safety, and a significant threat to ecosystem health. Our urban and suburban environments have been molded for centuries to the needs of various forms of transportation. The same result appears likely to occur in response to autonomous vehicles, if proactive steps are not taken to address their likely impacts. Currently, little planning is being done to prepare for driverless technology. Actors at multiple levels, however, have tools at their disposal to help ensure that new technology does not come at the expense of the nation’s remaining natural habitats. This Article advocates for a shift in paradigm from policies that are merely anti-car to those that are pro-density, and provides suggestions for both cities and suburban areas for how harness the positive aspects of driverless cars while trying to stem the negative. Planning for density regardless of technology will help to ensure that, for the world of the future, there is actually a world

The Regional Response to Federal Funding for Bicycle and Pedestrian Projects

Examines the efficacy of federal funding for non-motorized modes of transportation based on funding patterns across metropolitan regions, case studies of policies and projects, and an analysis of the funding's impact on bicycling and walking behavior

Smart Growth: The Future of the American Metropolis?

In the past few years, widespread frustration with sprawling development patterns has precipitated an explosion in innovative thinking and action across the United States. This new thinking - generally labeled as "smart growth" - contends that the shape and quality of metropolitan growth in America are no longer desirable or sustainable. It argues that metropolitan areas could grow in radically different ways if major government policies on land use, infrastructure and taxation were overhauled. This essay discusses the current state of smart growth and metropolitan thinking in the United States. It outlines the demographic, market and development trends that are affecting metropolitan areas and the consequences of these trends for central cities, older suburbs, newer communities and low-income and minority families. It describes how current government policies facilitate the excessive decentralization of people and jobs and how smart growth reforms are being enacted, particularly at the state level, to shape new, more urban-friendly, growth patterns. It concludes by identifying the major challenges that smart growth needs to address if it is going to succeed in shaping new, sustainable metropolitan communities.Smart growth, sprawl, metropolitan governance, decentralisation, urban revitalisation, eocnomic competitiveness, sustainability, tax and regulatory policy

Transforming Smart Cities with Artificial Intelligence: Opportunities, Challenges, and Future Implications

This paper explores the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on smart cities. With the rapid development of AI, its applications in smart cities have become increasingly important in enhancing urban development, improving public services, and creating sustainable and efficient urban environments. The paper first provides an overview of smart cities and AI, highlighting the importance of studying the impact of AI on smart cities. It then examines the role of AI in smart cities, including its definition, applications, and benefits. The paper also analyzes the impact of AI on smart city development, including changes in urban planning and design, transportation and traffic management, energy efficiency, and public safety and security. However, the potential risks and challenges of AI in smart cities, such as ethical and privacy concerns, job displacement, and cybersecurity risks, are also discussed. Finally, the paper explores the future of AI in smart cities, including opportunities for further innovation, collaboration between public and private sectors, and potential impact on urban lifestyles and citizen engagement. The paper concludes with a summary of the key points and implications for future research and policy-making

Exploring and contextualizing public opposition to renewable electricity in the United States

This article explores public opposition to renewable power technologies in the United States. It begins by discussing the genesis of environmental ethics, or how some Americans have come to place importance on the protection of the environment and preservation of species, ecosystems, and the biosphere. As result, renewable power systems have become challenged on ethical and environmental grounds and are occasionally opposed by local communities and environmentalists. The article finds that, however, such concern may be misplaced. Renewable electricity resources have many environmental benefits compared to power stations fueled by coal, oil, natural gas, and uranium. Opposition towards renewable resources can at times obscure the true costs and risks associated with electricity use and entrench potential racial and class-based inequalities within the current energy system