BIG Unveils a Driverless World of the Future Complete With Solar-Powered Streets

<a href="http://inhabiat.com/tag/BIG">BIG</a> has been keeping busy with more than designing <a href="http://inhabitat.com/big-unveils-radically-sloped-west-57-residential-tower-in-nyc-today/">mountainous green-roofed buildings</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Yes-More-Archicomic-Architectural-Evolution/dp/3836520109/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1303748690&amp;sr=8-1" target="_blank">drafting comic books</a>. They've also been laying out plans for a driverless world, where compact <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/electric-cars">electric cars</a> navigate on smart streets to reduce pollution and traffic while meeting the changing needs of our urban environment. In theory, <a href="http://inhabitat.com/google-has-developed-a-self-driving-car-and-it-works/">computer-controlled cars</a> could move more efficiently with less accidents to create a city that dynamically transforms and adapts to life between buildings.

(Driver)Less is More is BIG's entry in the Audi Urban Future Initiative -- an international competition that challenges designers and architects to envision the world of tomorrow.

<a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/big">BIG</a>'s proposal effectively alters our current urban transportation networks to create a pollutionless, noiseless, and <a href="http://inhabitat.com/driverless-evs-begin-8000-mile-journey-from-italy-to-china/">driverless world</a>.

Applying the same rapid advancement in computer technology to the automobile industry, BIG figures that we are entirely capable of creating a highly-efficient urban transportation network by using compact <a href="http://inhabitat.com/mitsubishi%e2%80%99selectric-i-to-be-most-affordable-electric-car-available-in-us-at-21k/">electric vehicles</a> and a smart street system.

Computer-controlled vehicles have already been tested and proven to be effective; all that's left is for us to move beyond the concept stages and develop the idea to its full potential.

Pedestrian-oriented urban areas have small narrow streets with interconnecting nodes.

Streets designed for house traffic are a little wider and set in a more formal grid network.

Cities designed specifically with public transportation in mind enjoy more park space and pedestrian paths.

Streets designed for the car require massive amounts of space for street infrastructure.

BIG proposes that we take all that large infrastructure for streets and use it more efficiently.

Computer-controlled cars require much less space to drive safely than human-controlled cars.

Computer-controlled cars can navigate through tighter areas more efficiently than car drivers, thus eliminating traffic and congestion.

The new transportation system of the future would also require smart infrastructure like GPS sensors and solar powered street tiles to guide the cars.

Eventually, existing streets will become nebulous as cars can safely navigate around pedestrians and buildings.