SCC-PG: Equitable new mobility: Community-driven mechanisms for designing and evaluating personal delivery device deployments

This NSF S&CC planning grant contributes to the design and development of new mobility technologies that serve city residents. New mobility technologies are on the rise in cities across the US, with micromobility platforms and autonomous delivery robots occupying the sidewalks of many cities. Amid the enthusiasm around what these devices could mean for the future of transportation and the circulation of essential goods, are concerns about who stands to benefit from these technologies.

This research focuses on producing a robust understanding of the unintended harms these devices may introduce and, in collaboration with community members, offer a set of potential opportunities to support resident safety and ensure broad community benefit

Pennsylvania recently passed state-wide legislation classifying personal delivery devices (PDDs) as "pedestrians," bestowing them the same legal rights as human residents. In response, Pittsburgh government officials and residents have come together as a coalition with the aim of developing municipal standards on current delivery devices to ensure continued accessibility of public space, and strategies for planning proactively for future new mobility deployments in the area.

Researchers in this project have partnered with the City of Pittsburgh’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI) and established connections with local advocacy organizations to develop community-driven approaches to the deployment and governance of new mobility technologies. Extending methods of impact analysis and equity measures, they draw insights from the actions and perspectives of government officials and residents who are negotiating the changing shape of the city and seeking to define community-driven technology deployments.

This planning grant lays the groundwork for a longer-term research with their Pittsburgh partners and other cities, by developing methods and technologies for supporting democratic processes around public PDD deployments.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.