Young workers all out of love with the auto commute

[marmar]

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:

Short commutes and proximity to transit are major factors attracting apartment dwellers to certain properties. When polled by GWLRA and Harris/Decima, 36% of apartment dwellers (owners and renters) selected their building for its short commute and 48% for transit proximity.

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:

In the United States, kilometers driven by 18–34 year olds is declining, and this is likely the case in Canada as well (Neff, 2010). Younger generations seem to have less interest in automotive use, making apartment living in dense, walkable and transit-oriented urban areas a more natural fit for their lifestyles.

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/

[HipChick]

1. This generation will be the work from home remote worker generation

[bluerum]

2. I have a 12 mile commute these days. Not bad but still would rather

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

[DBoon]

3. This old guy has always preferred urban living

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

[daleo]

4. My son will have his PhD before he has his driver's license

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.

[XemaSab]

7. Drag him out and make him get his license

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.

[Luminous Animal]

9. Only 2 of about 20 of my daughter's friends (age 19-25) have a driver's license and only 1 drives.

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.)

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

5. plus a lot of jobs just do not pay anything, and less and

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?

[dixiegrrrrl]

6. I have 2 city living over 40 male relatives who do not have cars

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.

[Warpy]

8. That's how I was in Boston

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.

[kelly1mm]

10. i hve mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, it certaily is good

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.