Samil PwC: "Future Mobility to Reshape Living Areas"

First Report in Mobility Revolution Series Published

An analysis has found that future mobility technologies, including autonomous vehicles, urban air mobility (UAM) and drones, will reduce travel times and costs, fundamentally changing the value of urban space. The analysis says that the range of choices and regional competitiveness, rather than accessibility to city centers, will determine the value of a place.

Samil PwC published "How the Mobility Revolution Is Changing Human Life," the first report in its Mobility Revolution series, on November 4. The report examined the development and commercialization outlook for future mobility technologies and analyzed how these changes could affect spatial structures.

The report defines the mobility revolution as a phenomenon in which socioeconomic systems change as advances in mobility technology expand the reach of connections among people, businesses and capital. It says the revolution differs from past transportation revolutions in that time previously spent traveling can be used for work or rest through autonomous driving.

Among future mobility technologies, robotaxis and drones are expected to enter a phase of widespread market adoption after 2030. By contrast, it is likely to take longer for conventional autonomous passenger cars and UAM to become commonplace, as safety must be verified and social acceptance secured in parallel.

The mobility revolution is also expected to bring changes to housing and employment. If new modes of transportation shorten travel times between cities, constraints on living near one's workplace could ease, broadening housing choices and making it possible to move between multiple hubs. The range of access to education, medical care and consumer services is also expected to expand.

However, greater convenience in getting around will not automatically lead to balanced regional development. A "Connectivity Paradox" could emerge, with consumer, educational and cultural activities instead concentrating in central areas with high-quality infrastructure. Japan, where key functions remain concentrated in Tokyo despite the development of its regional transport network, is a case in point.

The report forecasts that the criteria determining the value of future spaces will shift toward the range of lifestyle choices available and the distinctive competitiveness of each region. Areas expected to benefit include those around regional transport hubs; the outskirts of the Seoul metropolitan area and nearby small and midsize cities; residential hubs for extended stays, such as Gangwon and Jeju; and cities specializing in healthcare and tourism. It also said that places relying solely on access to major cities, or lacking a differentiated industrial base and employment opportunities, would see their relative premiums decline.

The report urged the government to redesign policies around people's actual living areas, defined by their movements and activities rather than administrative boundaries, and to broaden policy goals to include expanding the living population. It also stressed that older adults' right to mobility should be linked with policies such as healthcare. For businesses, it said market and location strategies should be based on actual travel times and people's daily routes.

"The essence of the mobility revolution is not the arrival of new modes of transportation, but the broader range of choices available to individuals and businesses as barriers to mobility fall," said Kim Jeongyeon, a partner at PwC Consulting. "As getting around becomes easier, people will ask 'Why this place?' rather than 'How close is it?' The value of a place will depend less on its transportation infrastructure itself and more on the competitiveness unique to that region."

"The government and businesses should think about strategies that go beyond expanding connectivity and turn it into stronger regional competitiveness and new growth opportunities," Kim added.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.