Values
Given the uncertainty as to the details of AV implementation, it is not possible to begin making specific policies regarding the technology or its rollout. However, it would be imprudent to ignore the signs of change. So in recognition of the fact that much about AVs is unknown, it is this section of the report's intent to instead establish and reaffirm those things that are known: our city's goals and values. While the 2040 Comprehensive Plan is still in the process of being finalized, the process included a substantial amount of public engagement that sought to gather and synthesize public opinion on what values define Louisville and how those values should best be implemented. The plan provides a set of policies that will guide Louisville Metro's growth and development for the next twenty years. Given the intrinsic bond between land use and transportation, it is those principles concerning the shape and development of the community that were identified and developed through an extensive public outreach process that shall form the basis for this framework. The five key principles from the Comprehensive Plan are known as the "CHASE Principles;" they are: Connected, Healthy, Authentic, Sustainable, and Equitable. Each is referred to in the document's vision statement, which sees Louisville Metro as a vibrant and diverse community that is connected, healthy, authentic, sustainable and equitable, with compassionate citizens and memorable places among its greatest assets and where all people are able to achieve their full potential.
The ways in which these principles apply to AVs are varied and will be more fully addressed through the development of our plays and strategies. The principles will inform Louisville's AV policy as follows:
Connected - Better connecting its citizens to jobs, housing, and other life opportunities by providing for a true range of multi-modal options that will increase safety and convenience for all road users.
Healthy - AVs should aid Louisville Metro in developing a safe and healthy, built environment that supports active lifestyles by ensuring that all neighborhoods promote a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being.
Authentic - Louisville's approach to the development and deployment of AVs should be authentic by engaging all citizens and businesses and by reflecting Louisville's unique character.
Sustainable - AVs should aid Louisville Metro by promoting sustainable, high-quality transport and development practices that reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) per capita and improve air quality.
Equitable: AVs should aid Louisville Metro in the equitable distribution of benefits derived from improved mobility, safety and public and private investments throughout the community.
By viewing AVs as an opportunity to improve mobility and the city's livability rather than just a technological advance, the rollout and deployment of AVs can help Louisville achieve many of its residents' stated goals by redefining the transportation system and their relationship to it. By shaping technology and infrastructure plans to meet Louisvillians' stated and closely-held goals—instead of the other way around—the future, and whatever it brings, will be both welcome and positive.