"The majority of Americans are open to living car-free even after decades of car-centric planning, policy, and cultural programming aimed at getting as many people as possible behind the wheel, a new survey finds - and if transportation leaders can do more to meet that latent demand, it could radically reshape our communities."
"A stunning 18 percent of car-owning U.S. residents indicated that they were "strongly interested" in living car-free, and another 40 percent said that they were "open" to it, according to a survey conducted by Arizona State University."
""About 10 percent of the U.S. lives without a car now. If that demand were to be realized - which is unlikely, given the current land use situation we're in - we'd be reaching numbers similar to Europe," added Nicole Corcoran, the lead author of the paper."
"Initially inspired by the popularity of the nearby Culdesac subdivision - a car-free oasis in an otherwise deeply car-dependent corner of metro Phoenix - Corcoran says she and her fellow researchers eventually expanded their study to include the car-free-curious in all kindsof U.S. contexts, and to better understand the reasons why people are (or aren't) interested in ditching their automobiles."
A majority of Americans express openness to living without personal cars, including 18 percent of car owners who are strongly interested and 40 percent who are open to the idea. Decades of car-centric planning, policy, and culture have not eliminated appetite for alternative mobility. About 10 percent of U.S. residents already live without cars, and realizing higher shares could approximate European levels but faces significant land-use constraints. Interest in auto-independence appears across demographics and in varied U.S. contexts, not limited to transit-rich areas or those unable to afford vehicles. Local car-free experiments have inspired broader curiosity and inquiry.
Read at Streetsblog
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