Automobile dependency has negative implications for wellbeing. This academic study finds that relying on a car for more than 50 percent of out-of-home travel is associated with significant reductions in life satisfaction.
How does daily travel activity affect people's wellbeing. The study, Does Car Dependence Make People Unsatisfied With Life? Evidence From a U.S. National Survey, uses data from a national survey to explore how transportation affects life satisfaction.
The results indicate that beyond a certain point, increases in car dependence reduce people’s satisfaction with life. It finds that relying on cars for more than 50 percent of out-of-home trips is associated with significant reductions in self-reported life satisfaction. These findings suggest that planners and decision-makers should promote multimodality and land use patterns that may help to reduce car dependence and its potential negative effect on subjective wellbeing (SWB).
FULL STORY: Does Car Dependence Make People Unsatisfied With Life? Evidence From a U.S. National Survey
Report Highlights Economic Benefits of Reducing Car Dependence
Encouraging Americans to drive less — and supporting cities where it’s possible to do so — could save the country trillions more than just electrifying the transportation sector.
How Car Dependency Impacts People With Disabilities
People who are physically unable to drive can benefit from effective public transit systems and accessible, mixed-use neighborhoods.
When it Comes to Transportation, It’s All About Options
Debunking the notion of the personal automobile as liberator.
Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25,% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.
Placekeeping: Setting a New Precedent for City Planners
How a preservation-based approach to redevelopment and urban design can prevent displacement and honor legacy communities.
Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.
Washington State Plans Ambitious ‘Cycle Highway’ Network
The state is directing funding to close gaps in its existing bike network and make long-distance trips more accessible.
Homeowners Blame PG&E for Delays in ADU Permits
The utility says it has dramatically reduced its backlog, but applicants say they still face months-long delays for approvals for new electrical work.
Rethinking Wildfire Defense: How a Landscape Approach Can Protect Neighborhoods
Post-fire analysis of the Eaton Fire reveals that a landscape approach — including fire-resistant vegetation, home hardening, and strategic planning — can help reduce wildfire risk, challenging assumptions that trees and plants are primary fire hazards.
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.
Borough of Carlisle
Caltrans
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland