MEGARON, cilt.18, sa.2, ss.202-217, 2023 (ESCI)
Developing technology and changing lifestyles also change the expectations of the citizens from
the quality of urban life (QOUL). However, today, the automobile-oriented transportation
system causes a decrease in the QOUL, especially in crowded cities, due to some reasons
such as traffic congestion, high individual vehicle ownership, lack of parking lots, number
of accidents, loss of time in traffic, and air and noise pollution. Transportation is one of the
indicators that directly and indirectly affect the QOUL. Transportation, which is sensitive to
technology, can also directly affect urban space and affect mobility and accessibility in the city.
In this context, new technologies such as autonomous vehicles (AV) can lead to significant
changes in urban space, human behavior, and QOUL. Once these vehicles are launched, they
can affect our lives in many ways: transportation, environment, urbanization, social, economic,
and legal. This makes AVs a part of the social debate. Although there are many studies in the
literature examining how AVs will affect the fields of transportation, environment, economy,
and law, there are very limited studies on how AVs will affect the QOUL. Based on a literature
review of the relationship between AVs and QOUL, this study aims to predict how AVs will
affect QOUL. According to the findings, it has been observed that AVs will positively affect
the QOUL life when they are operated with car sharing/ride-sharing, using electricity, and
when they are integrated with public transportation. However, AVs can lead to congested
and polluted complex urban centers, suburbanization, extrainfrastructure investment, and
cyber threats. According to the study findings, the effects of these vehicles on the QOUL vary
depending on the policies applied, the social acceptability of the vehicles, the preparation of
the infrastructure, and the market share. With the right policies, know-how, and appropriate
infrastructure, AVs can be an opportunity to improve the causes that reduce the QOUL in
today’s cities.