Driving

A finance website called nerdwallet took it upon itself to rank the "worst" cities to drive a car.

June 20, 2014 - nerdwallet

Baltimore Magazine’s annual “Best Places to Work” list factors in in salaries, benefits, and workplace perks—but not commuting. In the Washington, DC metro area, that’s no small thing.

March 8, 2014 - Comeback City

The cost of intown housing makes suburbia fiscally tempting- but this is in part the result of deliberate policy choices by government.

December 31, 2013 - Michael Lewyn

On these pages we usually tout the developed world's decline in driving and car ownership. But in Saudi Arabia, where women are not allowed to drive, the automobile serves as a vehicle for improving human rights.

October 26, 2013 - The New York Times

Eric Jaffe reports on research that may give pause to light rail advocates who argue the mode can reduce congestion: ridership gains along new lines may come at the expense of buses, rather than cars.

February 28, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Economist Joe Cortright doesn't seem to think so. According to his findings, Americans are driving less, with Millennials leading the way, and this unprecedented trend is here to stay.

November 7, 2012 - D.C. Streetsblog

In the face of New York City's increasing assault on automobiles, Justin Davidson stands up for the pleasures and utility of driving as a key ingredient in the city's multimodal mix of mobility.

June 1, 2012 - New York Magazine

I occasionally have speculated that our aging society would lead to increased transit ridership, as seniors lost the ability to drive. But I recently discovered that seniors are actually less likely to use public transit than the general public. One study by the American Public Transit Association showed that 6.7% of transit riders are over 65 (as opposed to 12.4% of all Americans).(1) The oldest Americans are even more underrepresented on America's buses and trains: only 1.5% of transit riders are over 80, about half their share of the population (2). The only other age group that is underrepresented on public transit is Americans under 18.

May 17, 2012 - Michael Lewyn

Nate Berg uncovers yet another study matching long commutes to poor health, from low fitness to high blood pressure.

May 9, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Suburban areas don't necessarily equate with car-dependence, according to some New Urbanist plans for far-out areas. But convincing residents to opt for transit can be a challenge.

August 19, 2011 - Scientific American

Driving is down in the U.S. and countries all over the world, according to a variety of studies. This piece from New Scientist looks into why the road is less traveled.

August 18, 2011 - New Scientist

Transportation is increasingly a major civil rights issue, according to The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, which argues that federal funding disproportionally serves car drivers.

July 29, 2011 - Wired

Cities are filled with gas-guzzlers, but some guzzle more than others. This infographic from Mint looks at which U.S. cities spend the most and least on gas.

July 28, 2011 - Mint

A few months ago, I was talking to a faculty colleague who lives in a part of Jacksonville even more sprawl-bound where I live, an area about a mile or so from the nearest bus stop and with a single-digit Walkscore.  He said Jacksonville was "safe and clean."  I was a little surprised: "clean" is one word I would never* use to describe Jacksonville.  When I walk down the sidewalks of San Jose Boulevard, I notice litter aplenty - and from what I know of Beach Boulevard (the grim commercial strip near my colleague's house) I doubt that it is much better.

June 30, 2011 - Michael Lewyn

The patterns of urban development over the past few decades have pushed more and more people into cars by necessity. But as design priorities change, so are people's walking and driving habits.

June 17, 2011 - Sierra

The New York City Department of Transportation's yearly statistical smorgasbord adds a new tool: neighborhood travel profiles showing how people arrived in eight neighborhoods. In many of them, the number of drivers was in the single digits.

May 3, 2011 - Streetsblog

New data from the Federal Highway Administration shows that vehicle miles traveled are up to their highest level since 2007. But when population growth is factored in, those levels drop significantly.

March 9, 2011 - Brookings Institution

Steve Mouzon visually documents his walkable day-to-day life, and all the places he can get to regularly on foot from his house.

November 2, 2010 - The Original Green

A conversation series from the National Trust for Historic Preservation asks what it would take for people to ditch their cars and rely solely on walking, cycling and public transportation.

October 22, 2010 - Glass House Conversations

The Texas Transportation Institute's Urban Mobility Report ranks the country's most congested cities, a list almost always topped by Los Angeles. But as Mark Vallianatos writes, the ranking misrepresents reality.

October 8, 2010 - Streetsblog