Matthew GriffinFounder, President and Futurist, 311 Institute
G7 · G20governments advised
850+keynotes
102countries
17codexes
Mobility and logistics sessions forBuyInAutoalan KeskusliittoSlovakiaTechWISTA InternationalCorporate World IntelligenceManagement Events
Featured inBloombergThe Wall Street JournalThe Telegraph
The host's verdict
A fascinating session that stretched my imagination.
Mikhael Grossmann, Hounslow Council
Jefferson, Assistant Director of Traffic and Transport at Hounslow Council, asked Matthew to present the Future of Transportation 2030 to the council, which then used the insights to inform the London borough's future transport plans. The timing mattered: residents were facing some of the largest cost of living increases in recent memory, and the transport sector itself was facing wave after wave of disruptive shifts.
Matthew's starting point was that it is no longer enough for governments to review future technologies and business models. They also have to account for new ways of working, climate change and rising sea levels, increasingly rapid urbanisation, and investment squeezes. Planning the best route forward against that backdrop is difficult, so he gave the council a complete review of the sector.
"It's no longer simply enough for governments to review future technologies and business models, they also have to take into account new ways of working, climate change and rising sea levels, rapid urbanisation, and investment squeezes."Matthew Griffin, London, August 2022
He covered the rise of new mobility business and operating models, new vehicle designs, new ways to raise capital and funding for infrastructure projects, Web 3.0 and the future of energy.
An hour long Q&A followed, where the discussion turned to what autonomous vehicles and the other changes would mean for the borough's residents, to innovation in government, and to the tokenisation of transportation assets.
311 Intelligence
What this means for your leadership team
Technology review is not enough.
A list of new vehicles and business models does not make a plan. The council also faced new ways of working, climate change, rising sea levels, rapid urbanisation and investment squeezes. Leaders should treat these as one connected planning problem.
Funding is part of the design.
The session put new ways to raise capital for infrastructure alongside vehicle design and energy. Tokenisation, where assets move onto shared digital ledgers as tokens, is a trend to prepare for. Questions from the council on tokenised transport assets show where the interest lies.
Residents sit at the centre.
The discussion turned to what autonomous vehicles would mean for the borough's residents. Autonomous vehicles are a trend to explore, with robotaxis moving from pilots to paid city services first. Leaders should test each change against the people who live with it, and against cost of living pressure.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
Which of our transport plans assume today's climate and sea level conditions?
How would new funding models change the way we finance infrastructure?
What would autonomous vehicles change for the people we serve?
The trends and technologies behind this session
From the 311 Starburst, the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit’s map of the technologies and trends shaping the next 50 years.
What does this session mean for organisations beyond local government?
Any organisation that depends on movement of people or goods faces the same mix of pressures. Technology, climate, urban growth and tight budgets arrive together, so plans need to be built around all of them, not one.
How do autonomous vehicles relate to transport planning?
Autonomous vehicles are listed as a trend to explore, with wide use expected around 2032. Robotaxis scale from pilots to paid city services first, with driverless trucks and private cars following. Planners should work out now what that means for residents.
How does tokenisation relate to transport?
Tokenisation is a trend to prepare for, with wide use expected around 2030. Banks and asset managers are moving bonds, funds and money onto shared digital ledgers as tokens. The council's Q&A on tokenised transportation assets points to a possible route for funding infrastructure.
How can 311 brief our leadership team on this?
Through a private executive briefing or leadership workshop, tailored to your sector, in person first.
Bring this to your leadership teamA private executive briefing or leadership workshop, tailored to your sector. In person first, anywhere in the world.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit, from Matthew Griffin’s session and 311 data.
If Matthew gave this session today
Develop your own scenarios, then turn them into strategy.
Strategic Foresight for Leaders sets out the latest foresight methods and shows how to build scenarios and turn them into strategy. That is the step Hounslow took when it used this session to shape its transport plans.
