The Matrix vs. The Fifth Element—Assessing Future Scenarios of Urban Transport from a Sustainability Perspective

Abstract

The future of urban transport (including passenger transportation and goods logistics) may develop in significantly different directions. Depending on changes in urban behavior, and depending on decisions made by lawmakers and governmental bodies, as well as by commercial players, this future may show a significantly reduced mobility of people and goods (for example, as depicted in the motion picture The Matrix, where people live immobilized in cocoons) or a significantly increased mobility (for example, as depicted in the motion picture The Fifth Element, where multiple layers of air traffic are added to road and rail traffic). We applied a systems thinking method to create a model for political decision makers and researchers. This model can contribute to a better understanding of the interrelations of societal factors (e.g., behavioral changes in the current COVID-19 situation), technological factors (e.g., the role of data traffic or emerging urban air traffic) and environmental factors (e.g., noise or CO2 emissions) in an urban mobility and logistics system. The research also shows that data traffic has the potential to partially substitute physical passenger and goods traffic under certain circumstances. Thus, data networks should conceptually be regarded as a new mode of transport that plays a role in the urban modal split.

Digital Twins in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Rapid Medical Resource Delivery in Epidemics

“…UAVs transmit image data via wireless channels; afterward, these data can be analyzed and forecasted to accurately supply medical resources for COVID-19 prevention and control. AlexNet [24], a deep CNN model, is selected considering its multiple network layers and stronger learning ability to extract features from the image data transmitted by UAVs. Furthermore, the functional layer of AlexNet's convolutional layer is improved.…”

The impact of COVID‐19 on logistics and coping strategies: A literature review

“…While the future of urban transportation may be uncertain due to several factors, including changes in urban behavior, this physical mobility flow data provide useful insight into the potential for assessing passenger and freight flows (Kunze & Frommer, 2021). Although the COVID‐19 outbreak was first reported in China and was well controlled in the early stages, its global spread will have a long‐term impact on the country’s civil aviation industry (Li, 2020).…”

“…Addressing the currently imperfectly achievable problem of transporting freight, Kunze and Frommer (2021) used a systems-thinking approach to develop a model that may be used by political decision-makers as well as scholars. Using the model, researchers can gain a better understanding of the interrelationships between social factors (for example, behavioral changes in the current COVID-19 situation), technological factors (for example, the role of data traffic or emerging urban air traffic), and environmental factors (for example, noise or CO2 emissions) in urban transportation and logistics systems.…”

Public Acceptance of the Use of Drones for Logistics: The State of Play and Moving Towards More Informed Debate

“…Even experts are still grappling with the complexities of drone regulation and governance. For instance, Kunze and Frommer [41] describe how the future form that urban transport will take is uncertain drawing upon popular culture to envisage a spectrum of levels of urban mobility with multi-layer air corridor systems depicted in the 'The Fifth Element' presenting a 'full-skies' outcome at one extreme. Reporting of developments within drone logistics incorporate pictures of drones carrying things and images of drones landing on balconies, driveways or lawns, for example, Amazon Prime Air [42] and the Financial Times [43] which pictured multiple drones carrying parcels when reporting on trials.…”