Auto Dependence

Aerial view of sprawling commercial development with parts still under construction and parking lot in Goodyear, Arizona

The Tragedy of Parking

Parking minimums and other zoning laws have made American cities untenable for any other type of transportation. It’s time we find a new way to zone our cities.

April 23, 2023 - Eric Carlson

Woman with bicycle on train platform

The Business Case for Multimodal Transportation Planning

Travel demands are changing and so should planning. There are good reasons for communities to spend less on automobile facilities and more on walking, bicycling, and public transit. Let’s examine why.

July 6, 2022 - Todd Litman

Portland Street

What Is Automobile Dependency?

Automobile dependency is a term used to describe households who must rely on private vehicles for everyday transportation, often due to a lack of safe pedestrian infrastructure, ineffective or absent public transit options, and sprawl.

May 3, 2022 - Diana Ionescu

I-84 to I-5 Interstate Freeway in Portland Oregon with Long Exposure Vehicle Traffic Motion

Oregon Youth Activists Protest Highway Expansion

A group of young climate activists are demanding an end to traffic-inducing road expansion projects and a renewed commitment to sustainable, transit-oriented transportation.

January 27, 2022 - Bloomberg CityLab

Utah

'15-Minute City' To Be Built in Utah

A community that focuses on reducing the need for car ownership and providing effective multimodal transportation and diverse land uses will be built from scratch on the site of the decommissioned Utah State Prison.

January 19, 2022 - Streetsblog USA

Self-Driving Cars

Ride-Hailing Industry Induces Car Ownership, Research Says

New research from researchers at Carnegie Mellon University finds that instead of setting people free from cars, more people are buying and using cars than ever before.

January 11, 2021 - Streetsblog USA

Coronavirus and Transportation

L.A. Metro Plans for an Equitable Recovery

The pandemic has forced difficult confrontations with inequities that existed long before the novel coronavirus. L.A. Metro planners are responding by charting a path toward a transportation system that reverses and improves those previous realities.

December 16, 2020 - James Brasuell

Congestion

A Call for Congestion Pricing in Hawaii

Everyone pays a high price for the congestion and pollution of car dependence, according to this article, so maybe drivers should start paying more for the privilege.

February 12, 2020 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Wrong Way

On the U.S. Transportation System's Structures of Inequality

The tendency of transportation planning of the 20th and 21st centuries to negatively impact poor and minority populations received deep attention on national media outlets over the past few days.

March 4, 2015 - Slate

Transit Ridership

Study: Reducing Car Dependence Would Save $100 Trillion by 2050

A study examines the impact of a worldwide shift away from automobile infrastructure and finds a staggering amount of potential benefits by the year 2050.

September 18, 2014 - UC Davis

Post-Car? Helsinki's Plans for a Tech-Enabled Mobility Network

Helsinki, capital of Finland's, is working to create a "mobility on demand" system that integrates shared and public transit in a single payment network. The idea is that with such a system in place, residents would no longer need cars.

July 16, 2014 - Guardian Cities

Dallas the Setting for a Discussion of 'New Cities'

After the New Cities Summit last week, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors this week, Dallas has been the location of a lot of recent discussion about the future of cities.

June 23, 2014 - Dallas Morning News

Is Your Commute Killing You?

Though research has been piling up on the adverse health impacts connected with driving long distances every day, it turns out that no matter how you travel to work, "having a job far from home can undermine health."

October 29, 2013 - The New York Times

Developing A Coexistence Between High Speed Rail and L.A.

Los Angeles architect Roger Sherman is trying to help guide the car-centric L.A. area into harmonious coexistence with the state's planned high speed rail.

November 12, 2010 - AIA

Transit-Oriented Housing Safer From Foreclosures

New research from the Natural Resources Defense Council shows that the chance of foreclosure is higher in places with limited access to public transit.

February 17, 2010 - Chicago Sun-Times

How to Un-Do Auto Dependence

After decades of auto-dependence, the French city of Strasbourg turned its back to the car and built a citywide tram system and street grid that reclaims roads from auto-dominance.

December 9, 2009 - Next American City

Car is #1 Necessity, Say Americans

A new study from the Pew Research Center says that even though Americans are driving less, they still see a car as the most necessary item they own. Air conditioning and TV are a good 10% less necessary.

May 11, 2009 - TOLLROADSnews

Top Books

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Top Schools

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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.