The City Adaptation to the Autonomous Vehicles Implementation: Reimagining the Dubai City of Tomorrow

Smart cities are defined as the municipalities that use information and communication technologies to collect data, share information, increase efficiency, and, most importantly, improve the quality of its citizens’ life. Smart transportation is one of the key factors in a successful smart city. It can be supported by several factors including zero-emission electric vehicles, safer, more efficient public transportation, less congested roads, safe walkable sidewalks and crosswalks, less daily commute, in addition to high-tech technologies, and, finally, smart connected autonomous vehicles. This chapter aims at examining possible design configurations of the new and smart cities, especially with autonomous and connected vehicles to maintain safety, sustainability, and walkability in the city while implementing such technologies. Such examination is reflected through a reimagination of an existing main road in the city of Dubai, which is expecting autonomous vehicles on the road in its 2030 city plan.