Enabling Technologies for Urban Smart Mobility: Recent Trends, Opportunities and Challenges

Abstract

The increasing population across the globe makes it essential to link smart and sustainable city planning with the logistics of transporting people and goods, which will significantly contribute to how societies will face mobility in the coming years. The concept of smart mobility emerged with the popularity of smart cities and is aligned with the sustainable development goals defined by the United Nations. A reduction in traffic congestion and new route optimizations with reduced ecological footprint are some of the essential factors of smart mobility; however, other aspects must also be taken into account, such as the promotion of active mobility and inclusive mobility, encouraging the use of other types of environmentally friendly fuels and engagement with citizens. The Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain and Big Data technology will serve as the main entry points and fundamental pillars to promote the rise of new innovative solutions that will change the current paradigm for cities and their citizens. Mobility-as-a-service, traffic flow optimization, the optimization of logistics and autonomous vehicles are some of the services and applications that will encompass several changes in the coming years with the transition of existing cities into smart cities. This paper provides an extensive review of the current trends and solutions presented in the scope of smart mobility and enabling technologies that support it. An overview of how smart mobility fits into smart cities is provided by characterizing its main attributes and the key benefits of using smart mobility in a smart city ecosystem. Further, this paper highlights other various opportunities and challenges related to smart mobility. Lastly, the major services and applications that are expected to arise in the coming years within smart mobility are explored with the prospective future trends and scope.

The Role of Shared E-Scooter Systems in Urban Sustainability and Resilience during the Covid-19 Mobility Restrictions

“…In addition, urban mobility is a key factor behind the smart and sustainable development of cities, which translates into a heavy investment in transportation infrastructure as an approach to ensure smart and affordable means of transport to citizens [34]. In recent years, technology has played an important role in promoting more sustainable transport modes (e.g., public transport and active modes), as smart mobility aims to offer a seamless mobility experience, which is flexible, integrated, safe, on-demand, and convenient [35].…”

“…Some of the attributes related to smart mobility are flexibility (allowing users to choose multiple modes through smart and dynamic navigation), efficiency (provision of efficient mobility options), integration (end-to-end route plans independent of transport modes), sustainability (promotion of cleaner and sustainable operations), security and safety (efficient data sharing and connectivity models to ensure road safety), social benefits (provision of equal opportunities to use public transport), automation (facilitates automation in all processes), connectivity (all entities in the network are connected), accessibility (affordable to all), and user experience (efficient processes to ensure better experience) [34].…”

Antecedents and Consequences of Digital Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in the Interaction Process with Smart City Development

“…A reduced ecological footprint due to traffic congestion decrease and route optimization is one of the essential factors of smart mobility together with the promotion of active and inclusive mobility, encouraging the use of environmentally friendly vehicles and citizens' engagement (Paiva et al 2021).…”

Reliable Internet of Things: Challenges and Future Trends

“…In case of an emergency at a particular road, emergency departments such as hospitals and fire units can be informed. Similarly, efficient routes that facilities the drivers as well as reduce congestion on the roads can be evaluated [46,47].…”