LOS ANGELES, USA Los Angeles: Towards Automated Transitopia.

Despite its popular stereotype as the car-capital of the world, Los Angeles is once again making unprecedented investments into public transport infrastructure. Yet, L.A. has also become a hot battleground for private-sector mobility technologies, such as Uber, on-demand micro-transit services, as well as a number of dockless and docked bikes and e-scooters. Furthermore, L.A. is bracing for a looming arrival of automated vehicles that are bound to challenge the transit-oriented vision of the metropolis. Transportation scholars have warned that if left to market forces alone, automated taxis are likely to once again boost car-based travel, leading to more congestion, vehicular infrastructure, sprawl and energy consumption.
This exhibit explores an alternative future for L.A. — one that is not dictated by technology, but where technology is strategically regulated to produce a better city. Instead of expanding private mobility, automated vehicle technology is used to revolutionize public transportation, particularly bus service. The exhibit uses a graphic novel as a medium to depict how everyday Angelenos could experience their city on automated public transport in ways that not only provide a high-level of service, but also reshape the built environment of the metropolis, maximizing multi-modal, socially inclusive, and environmentally sustainable outcomes.