{"id":332,"date":"2021-09-20T11:53:15","date_gmt":"2021-09-20T16:53:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arch.tamu.edu.staging2.juiceboxint.com\/?page_id=332"},"modified":"2023-01-18T09:35:54","modified_gmt":"2023-01-18T15:35:54","slug":"smart-cities-program","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/impact\/centers-institutes-outreach\/chud\/about\/smart-cities-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Smart Cities Program"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Smart Cities Program utilizes research on autonomous vehicles (AV) to envision future urban form with AV Technologies. The impact of AV on the form and function of urban communities is a topic of interest to policy makers, public agency personnel, researchers and the private sector. The development of AV technology has gained substantial momentum in recent years. Many researchers believe that transformative changes will occur regarding the way urban mobility is delivered and on urban form when humans hand over driving tasks to automation. Exactly how<\/em> and when<\/em> AV and allied technologies will be fully deployed is subject to uncertainties related to technological feasibility, consumer perceptions, market acceptance and institutional and regulatory changes. Regardless of the exact timing, changes will continue to occur at a rapid pace, and will have important implications to urban form, land use and land development patterns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


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ENDEAVR Project<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In May 2017, Wei Li organized an interdisciplinary charrette at Texas A&M University to discuss future scenarios of urban development with consideration of autonomous vehicles and other components of smart and connected communities. Experts and professionals from various fields relevant to planning, design and development of cities generated ideas on the potential influences of autonomous transportation technologies on urban form and land use. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Built on this momentum, Wei Li and his team launched the ENDEAVR Project in Fall 2018, with funding support from the W.M. Keck Foundation and Texas A&M University. It is an interdisciplinary project-based learning platform that connects students from the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) disciplines with industries and communities.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Student projects turn technologies from the industry into smart solutions for challenges such as: <\/p>\n\n\n\n