More than one major movement is changing the automotive industry—and it’s shifting from the outside-in. Technology, cultural factors like the new sharing economy, and environmental needs (like the switch to electric) are impacting the way the public buys and uses vehicles. And all of these changes are going to have major impacts on the way society interacts, builds, and designs the spaces we live, work, and move around in. The public spaces cars move through have helped shape the urban environment for the past 100 years. So, get ready, because the next phase of urban planning will need to change, faster.
Cox Auto Inc: How do you roll out a commercial fleet-services brand in an emerging industry on the verge of disrupting the automotive industry to its core? You merge physical fleet service management with mobile vehicle management services and back them with the Cox Mobility Group. These times, they are a-changin’.
2 – Five Ways to Redesign Cities for the Scooter Era
Bloomberg: The rise of e-scooters in urban environments isn’t a sign of the end of times. In fact, it’s a return to the way most cities were designed, originally. Urban spaces in large metropolitan areas need to rethink (or remember) that people, bikes, scooters, and cars travel at different speeds and use spaces in different ways. And planning for it will reduce accidents and move everyone around in faster, friendlier, ways.
3 – When’s A Car Not A Car? When It’s An App
Forbes: The role of the car in this “next-generation shift” of connectivity and technology disruption is that the car is no longer a passive character in society. In fact, the car is now an active member of the community—sharing data, time, function, and use with its neighbors. If that concept isn’t ready-set to change everything you know about cars, then you’re missing the next big wave.
4 – How Turo is Disrupting the Car Rental Industry
The News Wheel: When AirBnB shook up the hotel industry, it was only a matter of time that this same peer-to-peer network model would find its way into other markets. For anyone still waiting in line to pick up their car rentals (holding their smart phone in-hand) the inevitable was just a double-tap away.
5 – Designing the Human-Centered City
Data Smart City-Solutions: When Danish architect Jan Ghel studied New York’s Times Square, he found that 90% of its users were pedestrians, yet only 11% of the space was allocated to them. With the aid of Big Data, carving out space for additional use to move pedestrians around such a busy spot—on foot, bike, and other means—was achieved. And these practices are starting to spread to other cities.
Check back next week for more Drive to Success.
