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There is great uncertainty about the transition from human to autonomous driving vehicles (AVs), as well as about the extent and direction of their potential impacts on the urban built environment. Planners are aware of the importance of leading this transition but are hesitant about how to proceed, and public administrations generally show a passive attitude. One of the reasons is the difficulty of defining long-term visions and identifying transition paths to achieve the desired future. The literature on AVs is growing rapidly but most of the visions proposed so far do not consider in detail how circulation and parking of AVs will (or could) be differently regulated in cities. In this study, three visions for the Italian city of Turin are proposed. The aim of these visions is to highlight how different forms of regulation of AV circulation and parking can impact on the sustainability and livability of the city. A focus group and a set of interviews with experts and stakeholders were used to validate the three visions and assess their advisability and sustainability. This visioning exercise is the first step in the development of a backcasting process.

The article presents an overview of the recent institutionalisation in Italy of the "Metropolitan cities" as introduced by the Law 56/2014. The study analyses the process of institutionalization of this new level of government, the rationales of the reform promoted by the Law and the reasons for its success in making the Metropolitan cities effective. Problematic issues that the reform has not solved and that can weaken its effectiveness are also examined, underpinning specifically the question of the boundaries and the inner spatial organization of Metropolitan cities, and the rescaling of functions from Regions and Municipalities to Metropolitan cities.