Introduction

Mainly because of the dominance of private automobiles, most transportation systems are known to be ill-functioning nowadays, especially in urban environments. However, thanks to recent technological developments, new transport solutions appear as formidable opportunities to break away from the incumbent automobility regime and move toward more sustainable transport systems. Yet, mainly because of their highly disruptive nature and their provision by private and new actors, the integration of those new mobility options in existing transportation systems calls for the development of new organizational structures. In this chapter, we provide an overview of how smart transportation systems are conceptualized, by focusing on their four foundational pillars—they are shared, automated, electric and have integrated mobility—and explain why these pillars call for the development of new governance approaches. We conclude by highlighting the research gap that we aim to tackle and by briefly presenting the different contributions that are gathered in this book.