Young workers all out of love with the auto commute

from the Infrastructurist:



Is the Digital Age Changing Our Desire to Drive?
Posted on Friday November 5th by Eric Jaffe


Anyone can miss Canada, all tucked away down there, but it would be a shame for lovers of walkable cities to overlook a new report by GWL Realty Advisors, a Canadian real estate advisory group. Having noticed an “increased interest in living in dense urban areas”—particularly in apartments or condominiums—GWL used census data and polls to examine why such a swing has occurred. Of the report’s many conclusions, the most interesting may be that younger generations simply aren’t smitten with driving to work:





The connection between lengthy commutes and low quality-of-life is nothing new around here. And the ease with which one gets from A to B is an obvious charm of the city. But the report goes on to suggest that this youthful disdain for commuting by car is as much about the car as it is about the commute:



The citation is an article from Advertising Age about the diminished importance of the automobile in the digital age. The piece points out that in 1995 people age 21 to 30 accounted for roughly 21 percent of automobile-miles driven in the United States. By 2001 that figure had dipped to 18 percent, and in 2009 it had fallen below 14 percent. All this while the proportion of people in this age group actually increased. ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.infrastructurist.com/2010/11/05/is-the-digital-age-changing-our-desire-to-drive/

work from home. It would save gas, office space and an hour of daily driving.

as a consultant, you can't avoid long drives, but at least being able to walk to your favorite places on weekends helps.

He just doesn't seem that interested. Mind you, I ditched my car about ten years ago too. A short walk to work makes life a lot more pleasant and you get exercise as well.

I didn't get mine until I was 25, and for things like work, road trips, and being the DD, having the license really helps out.

I don't have a car either and rely on my feet, mass transit, and City Car Share when I absolutely need a car (i.e., big shops at the co-op.)

less these days. If you are bringing home $1200 a month, and paying for a one bedroom at $700 or $800, or ever sharing a house at that much, why would you add another $300 for car payment, and then plus insurance, plus gas and plus maintenance?

and both are quite happy with biking/busing/pooling.
Of course, they live in cities which have buses.
They rent cars for out of town trips.

I really didn't care about commuting time. I did all my best reading on the subway. I had a car the last 4 years I was there, only used it on days off to get out to the burbs for cheap groceries.

for the environment and sanity of the young people to lessen their single car commutes but I think the loss of gaining mechanical skills in keeping a beater car running may be a skill necessary for many in the future. Also, I wonder how many simply can't afford a car in the city (parking, insurance, etc).

I am making up for the numbers though as between me and my wife we have 11 cars - 9 of which were under $1000 each. Kind of a hobby of mine. But, alas, I am no longer young.