Silicon Citizens: When Automation Redefines Placemaking and Urban Geographies
An essay on how autonomous delivery robots and driverless vehicles reshape pedestrian public space, turning human-centred places into machine-readable urban environments.
The essay calls autonomous mobile agents “Silicon Citizens” and examines the tension between everyday urban life and the mathematical, sensor-based rules of algorithmic navigation. It compares regulatory approaches in San Francisco, Tallinn and Tokyo, arguing that urban automation is a political question rather than a neutral technical change. It proposes place-sensitive rules, including precise geofencing, software-coded ordinances and tactile reciprocity, so that autonomous systems adapt to people and public interests rather than only optimising logistics.
Published on Zenodo on 10 March 2026. Version 1. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19851972
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