On February 2, UO Professor of Architecture and Urban Design Nico Larco, Director of the Urbanism Next Center, testified before the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, which is chaired by Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-OR).

The topic of the hearing held before the committee’s Subcommittee on Highway and Transit was “The Road Ahead for Automated Vehicles.” Professor Larco’s testimony focused on the impact of automated vehicles (AVs) on congestion, parking, transit, travel costs, sprawl, government revenue, the environment, and land value and development opportunities. He shared a number of recommendations, including funding pilots focused on the impacts of AVs, supporting research on the impact of AVs, assisting local governments with AV regulatory preparedness, and having a national dialogue on AV impacts and community needs.

Professor Larco recognized Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) for his leadership in championing research on the cascading impact of autonomous vehicles and support of the PLACE Act, which directs the U.S. Department of Transportation to provide funds to institutions of higher education to operate a national highly automated vehicle clearinghouse and conduct research on the impacts of autonomous vehicles.

Professor Larco’s written testimony can be found here, and a recording of the entire hearing can be found here: Professor Larco starts speaking at 51:30.