{"id":63642,"date":"2018-12-10T20:00:40","date_gmt":"2018-12-11T01:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/?post_type=cu_story&p=63642"},"modified":"2025-08-19T09:37:33","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T13:37:33","slug":"self-driving-cars-charming-cities","status":"publish","type":"cu_story","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/story\/self-driving-cars-charming-cities\/","title":{"rendered":"How self-driving cars will make our cities more charming"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n How self-driving cars will make our cities more charming\n <\/h1>\n \n <\/header>\n <\/div>\n\n \n <\/path>\n <\/path>\n <\/svg>\n <\/div>\n\n \n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n

Everyone\u2019s trying to get ready for roads that will be filled with more and more self-driving cars. But just as the first cars were imagined to be like horse-drawn carriages without the horses, it\u2019s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that a future with self-driving cars won\u2019t be that different \u2014 except that we won\u2019t have to drive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a scientist who specializes in imagination and human behavior, it\u2019s interesting to me to try to figure out how technology will change our world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can be challenging to predict how things will change. But one thing that is important to think about is that self-driving vehicles will be able to go places without anybody in them. This is obviously useful for self-driving trucks<\/a>. But it\u2019s true for cars, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Specifically, they\u2019ll be able to park themselves. This means that parking spaces won\u2019t need to be anywhere near people\u2019s destinations. The cars can drive people to where they need to go, and then go park somewhere cheaper<\/a>. They can park densely, because people aren\u2019t necessarily going to need their<\/em> car, just some<\/em> car. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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