Smart Urban Mobility - The Key to our Future

Up until the last few years, the ways in which humans commuted remained largely the same. Indeed, trains had existed since the early 1800s, and cars and airplanes had already become the ‘next big thing’ in the 1950s. However, change ushered in when we started realizing that the astonishingly powerful engines that power our traditional means of transport are also unfathomably threatening to the environment.

Since then, development of technologies such as electric vehicles, the hyperloop concept, the ever- increasing network of efficient public transport and autonomous vehicles, have taken precedence. In my humble opinion, the future ways of urban commuting have to not only be sustainable and efficient, but at the same time, keep the human element alive. As artificial intelligence starts becoming more and more omnipresent, we will have to think of innovative ways to plan our urban landscape in a manner which supports our future means of transport.

During my current involvement at AUDI AG as an intern, I have pondered deeply about how changes in the way we travel will affect our lives. I have often thought that as we switch over to new innovative means of urban transport, we must also strive to keep making our existing systems more efficient and streamlined. E.g., I am a firm believer that more and more cities around the world should build efficient, people-friendly underground/suburban railway systems. At the same time, I believe that we must be well-prepared for the paradigm shifts which are going to happen sooner or later. E.g. the hyperloop technology, which will effectively change the way we currently think of cities and urban spaces themselves.

Gadgets such as the Segway promised a sea-change personal urban mobility, but fell short of their hype. But on the other hand, amazing new concepts such as the blockchain are revolutionizing the technological landscape. Blockchain is immediately identified as the raison d’être of cryptocurrency, but in reality, it has exciting applications beyond that. One of its most promising applications would be in regulating our future smart cities and making governments more transparent and accountable. But traffic management and autonomous transport is also set to benefit massively from this groundbreaking technology.

In short, the future of urban mobility is bright. Our urban spaces will be defined by how conveniently and efficiently they enable people to commute. Whether the idea of our future mobility is airborne personal transport, remains to be seen. But the gradual introduction of autonomous and electric vehicles will definitely be a step in the right direction.