CONCLUSION

The orthodox debate on vehicles and cities continues. In this debate, the conflicting character of real transport planning is avoided, this includes increasing population growth, rampant consumerism, and urbanisation. Further, rarely are the issues of vehicle sizes, occupancy statistics and road capacities assessed. This study proposes to introduce new variables of a small, connected, autonomous renewable energy vehicle, CAREV-S, to change the debate. Changing the paradigm and technology brings benefits to the city by introducing a spatial justice investigation into a new vehicle typology and its effects on the city.

According to numerous scholarly reports, connected autonomous vehicles, CAV, will create energy efficiency benefits. However, CAV is cited as a labour disruptor and will deepen the inequality between low- and high-skilled workers. This will be accentuated by the commercial interests of CAV manufacturing and industry operations. Current literature indicates that transportation planning is based on principles of spatial justice that ignore the powerful processes of domination. Domination and oppression systematically disadvantage groups in society, such as ethnic minorities, women and LGBTQA+ persons, and are inherently socially unjust. CAREV will assist with mobility options for people living with disabilities and the aged, as these cohorts will not be reliant on human drivers, and vehicles can adapt to the requirements of the disabled person. Intergenerational justice in the sector is an important principle for the novel technology social licence.

The EU publication ‘Future of Road Transport’ does not address how spatial redistribution could improve cities or labour inequality in the next stage in the development of spatial justice in transportation. There is a lack of data on the relationship between the vehicular spatial effects of congestion and the implications of the size of vehicles blocking road corridors. It is an accepted engineering and social practice that the elements that cause the blockages, which are the fundamental spatial elements of congestion, namely vehicle sizes, are rarely called into question. Existing vehicles appear to be larger than they need to be, and there is a trend for larger passenger vehicle types and a lack of smaller and personal vehicle mobility research.

This spatial investigation addresses environmental justice using smaller vehicle formats and advanced technology, CAREV-S, fills a research gap. The spatial investigation set objectives for environmental and spatial justice as distributive and decision-making processes. This process results in an increase in environmental areas for roads. It transforms current road space for active transport. The spatial and environmental forms of the city can benefit dramatically.

In essence, the suggestion is to not allow technology to set the strategic agenda but to employ technology to achieve strategic environmental and spatial goals to change the city. The principle of society, which determines the vision and the technology designed to suit the principles, is an inherent outcome of this research. The overall investigation is focused on providing current data that allows us to imagine that cities and their communities should set the policy. A designed system with CAREV-S enables a system of vehicles that reflect use patterns and the city. The current models of the vehicle and city involve the creep and obfuscation by planned obsolescence which is challenged through this process. Vehicle design is also challenged through a shift in paradigm to ensure that vehicles are designed to respond to the city, to all of its inhabitants, and not just the vehicle owner. This spatial study shows a pathway to a new way of thinking about the city, its vehicles and its communities.