Long-term effects of autonomous vehicles on the built environment: a systematic scoping review towards conceptual frameworks

Abstract

The advent of autonomous vehicles (AV) is expected to significantly impact the built environment in the long-term. However, the mechanism through which these effects would occur is not known. This study aims to develop conceptual frameworks in the form of causal loop diagrams to enhance understanding through a systematic scoping review of the literature. The review process followed the PRISMA framework and 82 eligible studies were sourced from the Scopus and Web of Science databases. Data were extracted for six attributes of the built environment (parking, density, land use diversity, destination accessibility, urban sprawl and street design). Both qualitative/speculative and quantitative findings are presented stratified by AV types (i.e. shared-autonomous vehicle and private autonomous vehicles), and geographical contexts (i.e. citywide, suburbs and central business district). The findings show that the long-term effects of AVs on the built environment would not be uniformly distributed across the city and vary by AV types. Built environment effects would occur through changes in accessibility, the redistributive demand for parking spaces and other mechanisms. The study provides a knowledge repository and identifies gaps in knowledge for researchers and practitioners interested in the long-term effects of AVs on the built environment.