The more urbanized the world becomes – and we're heading toward two-thirds of the planet's population living in and around cities – the more we need to rethink how we get around. So transportation systems are becoming more sophisticated, more innovative, more multi-faceted and better connected in response to this urbanizing trend. There are other factors driving these changes as well, namely a growing aging population, increasing economic disparities and, of course, climate change.
Fortunately, transportation systems of the future will make life better. They will do an increasingly better job at meeting the needs of more people doing more things more affordably and sustainably within smarter spatial arrangements.
What's so exciting about the future of urban transportation is that it will involve a whole host of new technologies, services, modes and products, all converging to provide options that seamlessly connect from door to door. Transportation is evolving a bit like telecommunications did. Back in the 50s, we started off with the big mainframe computer that took up a whole room and that only a few could program and operate. Now more and more of us have our own customized and connected portfolio of desktop, laptop, nanopod, cell phone, google search, satellite TV, GIS mapping, digital camera, printer and more.
Echoing our personal telecommunications menu, we need to increase our transportation options and get them to link with each other, so that parking connects with car shares, which connect with public transit, which connects with bike lanes, which connect with taxis, all of which connect to cell phones and computers for accessing real-time travel information like maps and timetables. We're already beginning to see exciting new transportation arrangements and services, like car shares and rental vehicles, allowing people to access an auto at any time without having to own one. A good bus system is very important. But if it drops a single mother in a barren area in the middle of nowhere after her night nursing shift, then on its own it's not going to work. Emerging multi-mode transportation systems take care of the whole trip door to door, and the bonus is that they'll be more sustainable ecologically as well as socially.
The overarching message of the future of mobility is connectivity – among technologies, modes, and services, across government departments, and among various industry sectors that can innovate (and benefit from) the development of a vital "New Mobility" industry. This isn't necessarily going to be easy but in the case of New Mobility, even incremental changes that come from connecting the dots can have dramatic effects.
Up to now, car companies have concentrated on cars alone, rather than thinking about meeting people's mobility and accessibility needs. There's a tendency to think of new fuel technologies as the silver bullet, but even if every person in the world had a car running on alternative fuels, we would still be faced with increasing problems of safety, and sprawl, and overcrowding.
Beyond thinking about how to make vehicles better, there's a great opportunity here for automakers to participate – and in some cases lead the way – by collaborating with other companies and industries to create sustainable and connected New Mobility options geared at growing urban populations – and markets. 
Susan Zielinski
Managing Director of Sustainable Mobility and Accessibility Research and Transformation (SMART) at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor
