Mobilescapes: A New Frontier for Urban, Vehicle, and Media Design

Abstract

What if we could transform traffic chaos into mobile landscapes? This paper introduces a new discipline, mobilescape design, at the intersection of urban, vehicle, and media design. Its catalyst is the capability of driverless vehicles to redefine urban spaces. In addition to offering improvements in safety, traffic circulation, and pollution levels, autonomous driving could sublimate the chaos of traffic into meaningful dynamic environments out of moving or static vehicles. The opportunities are endless. Creating meaningful situations out of mobile arrays can transform the interaction with local spaces, opening up new avenues in the arts, design, and business. The main goal of this paper is thus to raise awareness of the true potential of autonomous driving to fully exploit its capabilities in cities.