Last month, ICMA member and City Manager Betsy Fretwell (Las Vegas, NV), City Manager Pat West (Long Beach, CA), and ICMA Deputy Director of Global Programs Andrea Fox were among the 120 invited delegates who traveled to Pittsburgh, PA, to participate in the 2017 National Summit on Design and Urban Mobility. Convened by the American Architectural Foundation and the city of Pittsburgh and Mayor Bill Peduto, the summit included representatives from government, industry, design, and advocacy, including national speakers Justin Holmes, director of corporate communications for Zipcar; Gabe Klein, co-founder of CityFi; and Karina Ricks, director of mobility and infrastructure for the city of Pittsburgh.

Many of the summit discussions focused on autonomous vehicles. Last September, Uber began testing self-driving cars on Pittsburgh’s streets, and many summit attendees were local “Pittsburghers,” so discussions centered on how to prepare for autonomous vehicles, not when or if. Attendees sorted through many questions, working toward the end goal of developing a set of strategies to guide urban mobility in the future. These questions included:

• What land use changes will result from autonomous vehicles?
• How can autonomous vehicles support our most vulnerable residents?
• What happens to the 17 million people who will no longer have a job?
• Who has the responsibility to pay for the changes that autonomous vehicles will necessitate?

Take a look at the accompanying report for more information and recommendations on preparing for the future of mobility. As stated in the report: 

Municipalities have power. They / we must address this place-based challenge and succeed through comprehensive and authentic community engagement, innovative public-private partnerships that support financing, implementation, and a commitment to streets as a public resource for more and better mobility for all.

For more leading practices on emerging technology like autonomous vehicles, attend one of the many educational sessions listed under the “Emerging Technology” theme track at the 2017 ICMA Annual Conference, October 22-25 in San Antonio, Texas.