Regulating sidewalk delivery robots as a disruptive new urban technology

Figures & data

Table 1. Proposed emerging technology permitting model for San Francisco.

	Discovery	Pilot Application	Pilot Evaluation	Legislation / Permission	Ongoing Evaluation
User Steps	Company identifies market opportunity in SF with a new technology	Define business model	Present impact evaluation metrics in community forums	Provide additional information as needed to BOS and permitting departments	Company scales business model to entire City, or as permit allows
	Approaches the “Emerging Tech Front Door” (ETFD) for information to pilot	Negotiate terms of pilot and data sharing rules	Collect equity, accessibility, cybersecurity, privacy data	Continue community outreach	Company shares data as needed
	Conducts early community outreach	Ongoing community engagement & user testing
City Steps	Confirmation this is an emerging technology and level of scale worth engaging with	Assemble evaluation steering committee	Field observations	Once legislation passes, create permit terms & conditions	Permitting department conducts periodic reviews and inspections
	Front Door identifies permitting authorities	Develop pilot terms & conditions (time, place, manner)	Conduct equity, accessibility, cybersecurity, privacy assessment	Issue permit	If additional permit requirements added that existing agency does not have capacity to oversee, EFTD to take responsibility
	Provides information on ET pilot and permitting process	Identify ultimate permit authority	Make go/no go decision to get a permit
	Analyze evidence of impact in other cities	Identify what data the company must collect versus the City collects	If go, hand-off legislative & permitting process to permitting agency
	Evaluate whether limited pilot in SF is warranted	Issue pilot MOU	If no go, pilot stops
	Draft pilot design and identify benchmark criteria for impact analysis

Source: Kelly (2019, p. 23).

Kelly, N. M. (2019). The final report of the emerging technology open working group. City and County of San Francisco. https://emergingtech.sfgov.org/sites/default/files/2019-01/ET_Report_FINAL.pdf

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