In 2022, cities continued to grapple with optimizing streets and curb space, address the rising cost housing, prepare for more electric and autonomous vehicles, and work to strengthen resilience amid the effects of climate change.

2023 will bring additional federal funding to improve transportation and further momentum around trends like electric bike and car adoption, office-to-housing conversions and more.

Smart Cities Dive asked readers to share how they think cities will evolve in 2023. Here’s a selection of responses we received: 

The following responses have been edited for clarity and length.

The curb management market will continue to grow
“As we emerge from the pandemic, the new uses of the curb — restaurant seating, increased food and package delivery — have been in increasing conflict with the return of vehicle traffic, driven by both commuters and returning retail and entertainment consumers.

Cities continue to experiment with a variety of solutions, but there is a growing trend toward establishing paid loading zones to be used by traditional commercial delivery vehicles as well as the new influx of Amazon trucks, Door Dash deliveries and ride-hailing vehicles.

While the increase in revenue to the city from these loading zones is an important contributor to recovering tax revenue lost during [the COVID-19 pandemic], an even larger benefit is the much deeper understanding a city gains of who is using their streets, when and for what purpose.  This detailed usage data then enables the municipality to further refine its regulations to further optimize traffic flow and permitting.

Companies including Automotus, Meter Feeder, Populus, Coord and Umojo are capitalizing on this trend as cities including Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Boston and Aspen and Denver, Colorado, explore their potential.”

— Andrew Bess, managing director, TrueNorth Capital Partners

Read the full article about predictions for 2023 on vehicles by Danielle McLean at Smart Cities Dive.