- Title
- Empowering communities through autonomous vehicles: a decentralised framework for equitable integration in urban environments
- Creator
- Papasotiriou, Soultana
- Relation
- University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis
- Resource Type
- thesis
- Date
- 2023
- Description
- Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Description
- Urban mobility needs to become more sustainable and equitable in order to cope with the increasing demands of a global population that clusters in cities. Shared autonomous vehicles (SAVs) are one of the most anticipated disruptive developments that could liberate cities from car dependency and represent the aspirations for a futuristic, sustainable, and intelligent transport innovation. However, the adoption of SAVs alone may not be sufficient if they do not co-evolve with alternative operational models that enhance social structures and establish novel sustainable and equitable commuting patterns. The emerging issues of mobility control and centralisation of provision are added to a long list of uncertainties regarding the true magnitude of SAV-driven implications. Additionally, the lack of design strategies and policies makes it difficult for city planners and decision-makers to ensure that the advent of autonomous vehicles aligns with the sustainable and people-centred objectives of contemporary urbanism. This thesis aims to shed light on the complexities of shared autonomy, investigating the relationship between shared autonomous mobility and urban communities. The two main objectives of this investigation focus on exploring the potential and feasibility of alternative mechanisms that support sustainable and equitable operational models and how these models can disrupt the urbanisation process. To accomplish the first objective, the thesis proposes a theoretical framework for decentralising shared mobility through the integration of the Common Pool Resource Theory and blockchain mechanisms. This framework establishes a novel approach for the collective organisation and management of Community-owned Decentralised Autonomous Vehicles (Co-DAVs), providing guidelines for successful collaboration with all involved stakeholders like local authorities and neighbouring Co-DAV communities. Additionally, the thesis tests the feasibility and potential of Co-DAVs through a prototype application that allows for collaboration between authorities, community members, commuters, and vehicles. The second objective is inspired by the innovative collaboration levels of Co-DAVs and seeks to identify mechanisms that can promote urban participation. Using the lens of Lefevre’s right to the city theory, the thesis interrogates transformation practices to identify how the decentralised approaches to mobility can enhance delegating power and establish advanced urban agency. The thesis then unpacks theories of mobility inequalities to develop a universal method that quantifies mobility equity and enables informed decision-making. The method employs data mining and clustering techniques to measure mobility equity and identify hidden patterns and urban similarities that assist in prioritising the transformation interventions. In summary, this research offers a new perspective on how shared autonomy can arise, leading to new opportunities for encouraging collaborative and decentralised coordination in urban mobility. Additionally, the research demonstrates that early prototyping of mobility models that enhance social structures is already possible. Overall, the thesis investigates state-of-the-art research on the deployment of autonomous vehicles, drawing inspiration from various disciplines such as socioeconomic theories, blockchain technologies, urban planning, urban sociology, urban geography, and computer science. It expands the theoretical investigation to include early proof-of-concept prototypes that establish a robust basis for further research into shared autonomous mobility.
- Subject
- shared autonomous vehicles; participatory mobility infrastructure; decentralised mobility; blockchain; mobility equity
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1483349
- Identifier
- uon:51097
- Rights
- This thesis is currently under embargo and will be available from 14.07.2024, Copyright 2023 Soultana Papasotiriou
- Language
- eng
- Full Text
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