Throughout the world, technological advances and regulatory changes enabling the development of Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (C/AVs) are presenting new challenges and opportunities for national, regional and local policy makers seeking to accommodate C/AVs within the built environment. Overcoming concerns about safety, urban design, and supporting infrastructure, amongst other matters, will form part of a long transitional period as C/AVs compete for a place in already complex urban environments, including their transit systems. Concurrent efforts to pursue policies aimed at decarbonising cities, promoting public health and liveability, balancing economic growth and social inclusion, and increasing levels of walking and cycling whilst reducing private car use will further problematise this transitional period, introducing new tensions in the policy and infrastructure landscape of cities. The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated these challenges as policy makers seek to accommodate social distancing requirements within transit systems and the built environment.

This Policy Expo invites contributions from academics, policymakers and other individuals and groups with an interest in these issues. The Expo will engage with a diverse set of stakeholders and provide valuable data on policy opportunities across a range of geographies – from the neighbourhood and the city-region to the national and international scale. In particular, case-studies of innovative solutions are sought to help frame the discussion of potential policy and infrastructure options.

The Policy Expo will use insights gained through the Call for Evidence and further stakeholder interviews and focus groups to produce a policy-facing book as part of the RSA’s Impact and Policy Series. It is anticipated this will be published in 2022.