Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

A deep dive into “the driverless revolution to come.” Townsend, president of urban forecasting initiative Star City Group, focuses on the seamless integration of automated vehicles (AV) into a society that he feels is ready for them. However, he also evenhandedly addresses the pitfalls. The text features an erudite analysis of the AV industry’s social and financial benefits and the finer points where the industry has already fallen short of expectations, and the author engagingly explores the facts behind the hype and weighs opinions from both sides of the spectrum. Townsend splits the narrative into three relevant “stories,” examining the specialization, the materialization, and the financialization of the driverless revolution, touting its benefits and debunking common myths about its future. In the first section, the author explores the transformative advancements in AV history and the “species” of innovations, and he enthusiastically promotes the eventualities of the “taxibot takeover” and the “push-button supercommute.” One of the areas to be affected most will be taxis. “Most market analysts agree,” writes the author, “that all taxis in the industrialized nations will be automated by 2030.” Then Townsend moves on to scrutinizes the steep demand of deliverables facing the e-commerce industry and the ways automation and “robofreight” could simplify these processes. Finally, Townsend warns of a potential regulatory crisis as corporations begin jockeying for power when lucrative autonomous markets proliferate. This convincing and balanced report also contains six “big mobility” codes of conduct, which will allow readers to apply specialized rules to personally maximize the autonomous experience. A natural follow-up to Townsend’s Smart Cities (2013), this well-researched, smoothly written book will appeal most to urban planners and those in the AV and related industries. Still, general readers will appreciate the author’s optimistic yet cautionary assessment of a technology that remains as elusive and unpredictable as it is awe-inspiring. An astute and cautiously encouraging overview of the driverless technology revolution. (17 illustrations) Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Autonomous vehicles (AV) are on their way and Townsend (Smart Cities, 2013) wants readers to be prepared. AV will fundamentally change the nature of communities in ways even the most optimistic prognosticators can't imagine. Self-driving cars won't be the end of it: this technology opens the door to everything from intelligent hoverboards to self-driving buildings. Fleets of driverless trucks and delivery rovers will upend manufacturing, shipping, and delivery systems. Algorithmic analysis of traffic patterns can drastically reduce carbon emissions and virtually eliminate accidents. There's tremendous potential to be tapped into that can transform the world for the better. But there's also great danger. Technology tends to worsen social inequalities, it threatens to create ubiquitous surveillance, and the fortunes to be made could easily lead to the near-complete privatization of public space. Townsend posits a set of principles for individuals to commit to so they can take control and demand a human-focused future before it's decided for them. Ghost Road is a balanced, well informed, and ultimately hopeful examination of AV.