New reports, new podcasts, and the Urbanism Next Conference!

New Reports
Urbanism Next is pleased to share a new report: New Mobility in the Right-of-Way (Howell, Larco, Lewis, and Steckler), which explores the ways in which demand for the right-of-way, broadly, but the curb, more specifically, is changing. The curb has long been in high demand with multiple users vying for limited space, especially for the purposes of parking personal vehicles. However, TNCs and other services have helped to usher in a new age that involves an increased demand for short-term loading and micromobility device parking. AVs will likely exacerbate existing issues with the right-of-way and the curb, which is why it is important that cities tackle curb management in new ways. This report categorizes and summarizes efforts that are already underway in cities across the world to rethink curb management and identifies major research gaps.

New Mobility in the Right-of-Way summarizes the second phase of research from a project involving the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance at the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (CNCA/USDN) and the cities of Portland, OR; Seattle, WA; and Vancouver, BC, and was generously supported by the Bullitt Foundation. (The first phase of research produced the report AVs in the Pacific Northwest: Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions in a Time of Automation.)

We are also pleased to share the accompanying Policy Brief: AVs in the Pacific Northwest that summarizes the key takeaways from both phases of research related to this project. This policy brief outlines our main findings and includes a series of process/procedural and policy recommendations for cities to consider as they adopt new mobility plans and enable automated vehicles.

New Podcasts and Videos
Urbanism Next Program Director Becky Steckler was featured on the NACS Convenience Matters podcast this week. Convenience Matters is hosted by NACS and the Fuels Institute. You can check out the full podcast here. Becky also gave a presentation at TEDx McMinnville in January and the video is now up!

Urbanism Next Conference
We are in high gear preparing for the Urbanism Next Conference, and we hope you’ll be able to join us in May! Check out the schedule page for details about the sessions and workshops that will be offered and stay tuned for an announcement about our plenary speakers next week! Early registration ends April 2!