United States Department of Transportation
i
Strong Interest in Car-Free Living in the United States: Findings from a Nationwide Survey
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2024-09-01
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[PDF-917.94 KB]
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Edition:Research Report (2023 – 2024)
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Abstract:The United States (US) is infamously car dependent, causing environmental, safety, and social problems. Planners have suggested actions to reduce car dependence for years; many cities have reformed zoning and parking regulations, and some have allowed private developers to build car-free or car-lite housing in otherwise car-dependent cities. Demand for car-free living in the US is unknown, however. Based on responses to an original, representative national survey (N=2,155), this project sheds light on (1) the magnitude of demand for car-free living in the US, and (2) how car owners interested in car-free living differ from today’s zero-car households. Descriptive statistics indicate that approximately one in five car-owning adults in the US is interested in living car-free, and nearly half are open to it. Multivariate analysis illustrates interest in car-free living is related to having lived without a car in the past, using a car for most trips, and regular transit ridership. Perhaps surprisingly, interest in car-free living is largely unrelated to socio-demographics. These results are limited by the fact that they are based on stated preferences for car-free living. Given the interest in car-free living, planners should allow and facilitate car-free and car-lite development by investing in alternative transportation infrastructure, lowering parking requirements, and encouraging mixed land uses, including in residential neighborhoods.
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