With self-driving cars already well lodged in the public imagination as a sure thing in the relative near future, many people are already thinking about the potential business opportunities for the new technology.
"Question: What do you get if you cross a hotel room with a self-driving vehicle? Answer: The Autonomous Travel Suite (ATS)."
That's how Sarah Lazarus introduces the concept of the ATS, created by Toronto-based Steve Lee of Aprilli Design Studio and winner of the 2018 Radical Innovation Award—a hotel industry award sponsored by the John Hardy Group..
"While car designers have focused on developing advanced versions of conventional vehicles, "as an architect, I see self-driving vehicles as more being more like a mobile room," says Lee, as quoted in the article.
One potential challenge for the ATS idea is how to power a living space that moves for long enough distances to be useful, which is addressed in the article.
The news about the ATS follows shortly after research published in the Annals of Tourism Research earlier this suggested that automated vehicles will lead to more prostitution and sex on the roads.
FULL STORY: This self-driving hotel room could revolutionize travel
The Key to Self-Driving Safety: Priority Over Expediency
Human drivers are fallible. Can automated systems do a better job to reduce the likelihood of car collisions?
'Cars Are Death Machines'
Not one, not two, but three articles in the past week paint dire portraits of the world that cars have created.
San Jose Launching a Self-Driving Car Program in 2019
The city of San Jose in California's Silicon Valley is familiar with self-driving cars on the road, but this is its first partnership with self-driving car companies.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.
Why Should We Subsidize Public Transportation?
Many public transit agencies face financial stress due to rising costs, declining fare revenue, and declining subsidies. Transit advocates must provide a strong business case for increasing public transit funding.
Paris Bike Boom Leads to Steep Drop in Air Pollution
The French city’s air quality has improved dramatically in the past 20 years, coinciding with a growth in cycling.
Why Housing Costs More to Build in California Than in Texas
Hard costs like labor and materials combined with ‘soft’ costs such as permitting make building in the San Francisco Bay Area almost three times as costly as in Texas cities.
San Diego County Sees a Rise in Urban Coyotes
San Diego County experiences a rise in urban coyotes, as sightings become prevalent throughout its urban neighbourhoods and surrounding areas.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Smith Gee Studio
Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
City of Santa Clarita
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service