PHILADELPHIA | Lowrise/General Developments Thread

[mja]

I just want my jetpack.

[ebuilder]

Originally Posted by iheartphilly

I'm not sure I buy all the hype with autonomous driving vehicles. How many inputs will the computer process and will it save time on the commute for all drivers. As long as there are stop lights, stop signs, and other traffic slowing mechanisms, everyone on the road is a slave to these measure. So, I'm not sold that it will improve efficiency and throughput. Maybe less aggravation for the driver/rider since the computer AI will take all the driving variables that the sensor/radar/driving technology can pick up and process in place of the human brain. One thing I do like about the sell is that it should cut down on accidents cause by human drivers. AI driving safety is one of the big selling points.

People who are tech addicts and have disdain for anything "old" are really underestimating Americans love for autonomy and freedom as it relates to cars. Just how will this process of banning manual driving (and parking) work? Are people suggesting the government will decide when driving will be made illegal? Good luck with that. In Europe and Asia where dependence on mass transit, bikes, walking, etc. if much higher (in urbanized areas) this sort of transition may not be quite as big of a deal. In the US the changes being discussed are huge and many folks will not be on board. All of the panacea stuff being discussed is based on the premise of rapid, mass adoption of these vehicles and a corresponding mass retirement of regular cars. Unless the government subsidizes such a move in a big way I don't see that happening in 10 or even 20 years. Americans with cars are used to being able to come and go as they please- a far cry from relying on robo taxis to go everywhere. People embrace tech when there is something in it for them. If I had an hour car commute each way every day perhaps I would be clamoring for a self driving car, but I don't and I rarely take long car trips that leave me fatigued or angry as a driver. What is in it for people like myself? The appeal of being able to send more text messages from the drivers seat?

[Capsule F]

Self driving cars will be the next large disruptive technological change we encounter, and its going to happen sooner than later. I think you guys are going to be caught by surprise.

[Yurkek]

Not sure if we actually going to experience fully autonomous cars any time soon, but I really hope if it happens we will get rid of all that unnecessary parking and have more space in cities for other things.

[Busy Bee]

And it will all happen overnight, not slowly over decades or anything

[Parkway]

For autonomous cars we are looking at 2 different things parking and traffic. With respect to parking in cities I think the impact will be noticeable a lot more quickly as long as the per mile trip cost is actually as low as people think it will be city residents will be more willing to ditch car ownership which in turn will ease the pressure on parking. Traffic is a different story. As long as a significant percentage of cars on the road are driven by people the imagined "car conveyor belt" isn't going to work.

[Groundhog]

This will take decades to be close to fully integrated into the system. The government would need to actively discourage people from driving/buying new manual cars - likely through taxes. It's a stretch to think they would do that for commercial vehicles due to the massive job loss anticipated, but it won't be needed for those vehicles. Those will be the early adapters for the business savings. In the long term, I could see a public safety tax, similar to cigarettes on manual cars, but this is likely decades away due to the speed of government.

For comparison, let's look at another autonomous car technology that has a significantly lower barrier to entry for people to adapt to: EZ Pass. A much lower cost and learning curve and significantly lower associated risks for users (real or imagined) than autonomous cars. A quick Google search shows me that EZ Pass launched in 1987 and is still only available in 13 states. I can't find a percentage of drivers in available locations that have EZ Pass, but I can tell you that there are still a significant number of drivers paying tolls the old fashion way on the turnpike.

Autonomous cars will be on the road in 5 years, but will not make up a majority of traffic for many many years to come.

[Busy Bee]

Modernization overview from Curbed... nothing new really:

https://philly.curbed.com/2018/1/16/...olley-proposal

[SEFTA]

Every public parking space you ever parked at we all payed for. Every parking space on the street. Every parking space at the local strip mall, hospital or office building, paid and maintained for. The cost is built in. I think the parking situation will be most immediately impacted. People that use their cars the least will probably not rationalize owning a car even more. Like people who live in the city. The next decade will be a learning experience.

[ebuilder]

Originally Posted by Yurkek

Not sure if we actually going to experience fully autonomous cars any time soon, but I really hope if it happens we will get rid of all that unnecessary parking and have more space in cities for other things.

If pricing is based on supply and demand I think a reduction in the cost of parking (on street or otherwise) is a much more likely near term side effect of all this than the elimination of street parking. The cheapest and most likely use for an "extra" lane of street is more capacity for cars and buses. So you can get rid of curbside parking, add more lanes and then invite even more traffic to places like CC Philly. Not exactly an urbanists dream. Maybe you can use it for dedicated bus lanes so they aren't held up by all the ride sharing taxis clogging the streets.

[Londonee]

Originally Posted by City Wide

Just to give a sense of my age, I grew up with 3 or 4 channels of B&W TV. And since then there has been a regular drum beat of promises about how the future will be---. Much of the change is better, but few if any of what I'd call major life altering innovations. The computer driven world might very well turn out to be such a innovation, but that industry is still young.

Man, you're a tough person to impress. That little thing called the internet which LITERALLY CHANGED HOW EVERYONE LIVES THEIR LIFE ON A FUNDAMENTAL LEVEL isn't revolutionary enough for you? Frankly, flying cars or whatever Sci-Fi nonsense you daydreamed about reading Asimov novels is far less of a change than that brought by the internet. Fire, the wheel, gunpowder, printing press, steam engine, the Internet.

Originally Posted by Groundhog

For comparison, let's look at another autonomous car technology that has a significantly lower barrier to entry for people to adapt to: EZ Pass. A much lower cost and learning curve and significantly lower associated risks for users (real or imagined) than autonomous cars. A quick Google search shows me that EZ Pass launched in 1987 and is still only available in 13 states. I can't find a percentage of drivers in available locations that have EZ Pass, but I can tell you that there are still a significant number of drivers paying tolls the old fashion way on the turnpike.

To be fair, it's called something different in many states (California it's called FasTrack on The Toll Roads) and in several of our more remote states, toll roads as we know them don't exist. So, not an all around epic analogy.

[Londonee]

Originally Posted by ebuilder

If pricing is based on supply and demand I think a reduction in the cost of parking (on street or otherwise) is a much more likely near term side effect of all this than the elimination of street parking. The cheapest and most likely use for an "extra" lane of street is more capacity for cars and buses. So you can get rid of curbside parking, add more lanes and then invite even more traffic to places like CC Philly. Not exactly an urbanists dream. Maybe you can use it for dedicated bus lanes so they aren't held up by all the ride sharing taxis clogging the streets.

Yes no one I can possibly think of who could make use of the elimination of street parking...no one at all:


Source: MomentumMag

[ebuilder]

^I said what is most cost effective and most likely. What you are showing requires significant public spending- at a time when revenue from parking for agencies like the PPA would presumably be on the decline. So no, I don't believe that as soon as you get some self driving cars on the road parking lanes will morph into tree lined bike lanes. Once we have all this automated traffic on the streets the cars need space to operate- so just like now you would have a fight over roadway real estate between walkers, bikers, car sharing business, SEPTA, etc. Cars that drive themselves aren't a magic bullet.

[PhilliesPhan]

The new library is coming along nicely! The superstructure is complete, and a lot of work has moved to the interior:







Further up Liacouras Walk at Norris Street, Peabody Hall has been reduced to a pile of rubble:



Over at my college, the Fox School of Business, preparation for the skywalk and subsequent expansion into the former Health Center space is underway:





Renovations within Speakman Hall, home to the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management, are now complete! After an entire semester of having to walk elsewhere around campus, Fox and STHM students can grab a cup of coffee from our new, modern Saxby's:




Gladfelter Hall appears to be undergoing renovations, but I had to run to class and didn't have time to take a pic!

[ebuilder]

per philly.com the south philly casino has demo permits to take down the existing hotel. Looks like work will be underway soon.

[allovertown]

Originally Posted by PhilliesPhan

The new library is coming along nicely! The superstructure is complete, and a lot of work has moved to the interior:

Thanks for the photos. Haven't been on campus in over 5 years.

[iheartphilly]

Originally Posted by PhilliesPhan

The new library is coming along nicely! The superstructure is complete, and a lot of work has moved to the interior:







Further up Liacouras Walk at Norris Street, Peabody Hall has been reduced to a pile of rubble:



Over at my college, the Fox School of Business, preparation for the skywalk and subsequent expansion into the former Health Center space is underway:





Renovations within Speakman Hall, home to the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management, are now complete! After an entire semester of having to walk elsewhere around campus, Fox and STHM students can grab a cup of coffee from our new, modern Saxby's:




Gladfelter Hall appears to be undergoing renovations, but I had to run to class and didn't have time to take a pic!

Nice Pics...glad to see the progress on the wonderful new library. Go TEMPLE OWLS!!!!!

[iheartphilly]

Philadelphia casino to prep site near sports stadiums

http://www.philly.com/philly/busines...-20180117.html

This is good-can't wait. That Holiday Inn needed to go and will be razed (it's already permitted . $600 million in investment and excited to see this break ground this year!

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by iheartphilly

Nice Pics...glad to see the progress on the wonderful new library. Go TEMPLE OWLS!!!!!

These pictures make me miss college.

[CCGuy]

Originally Posted by iheartphilly

Not true. I read that it adds 100k in technology, including the AI computer on top of the price of a car.

https://assets.kpmg.com/content/dam/...s-vehicles.pdf

Did you even read the excellent KPMG white paper that you linked too?

It predicts full adoption in 10 years- with car to car communication - and lower costs per mile driven. Autoniomous cars are coming- assimilate