The following excerpt is courtesy of Smart Cities Dive and was written by Kristin Musulin and Chris Teale . Follow the link below to read the full article.
As we usher in a new year, the trends that shaped cities in 2018 are bound to have a ripple effect on the innovations that bloom in 2019.
Now that dockless vehicles are a common offering in most metropolitan areas across the U.S., what new transportation options will shake the industry? Who will win the 5G race? Will Uber dish out the big bucks to strengthen its grip on the shared mobility market?
To help start your year right, Smart Cities Dive has compiled the following list of trends that are expected to influence the smart city space in 2019.
1. New, and seemingly outlandish, mobility offerings
Just as 2018 was the year of dockless bikes and scooters, 2019 will likely be the year for further progress on other advanced modes of transportation.
In December, Elon Musk’s Boring Company unveiled its first hyperloop test tunnel in Hawthorne, CA to a torrent of criticism that the new transportation option did not live up to the hype and would not help ease traffic congestion in the Los Angeles area. It will be interesting to see what further progress Musk makes, and if he is able to deliver on his promise of high-speed, cheap travel.
Meanwhile, 2019 could be a big year for maglev and other train systems, which saw a revival in recent years and have been the subject of much speculation and hype.