Uber’s New Wave of Urban Design. Are Cities Ready?

As far as billion-dollar companies go, if Walmart is the poster child of sprawl, could Uber be the new face of smart growth?

Uber, best known for its smartphone-based taxi service, is expanding rapidly with initiatives less about individual rides and more about mass mobility. So far, reactions to Uber’s plans for driverless vehicles, “smart routes,” and shared rides seem pretty wary. Gizmodo’s Alissa Walker recently summarized concerns regarding equity, wages, and potential declines in public transit ridership.

While it is helpful to anticipate what can go wrong, it is even more important to get in front of trends to harness the benefits of tech-enabled mobility. Here is a short outline of what cities and suburbs need to do now to prepare for systems that are both public and private, driver and driverless, and solo and shared.

Read the rest of the story here.