Image: Paul Henri
Not that we’re condoning it, but certain cities are more conducive to the car-less lifestyle than others. Combine great walkability, reliable public transit, and high living expenses, and voila: you have the the recipe for a city without cars. It comes as no surprise that NYC is at the top of the list, but I was surprised to see San Francisco down at #14. I lived in SF for four years without a car, and certainly seemed like a lot of people were car-less as well. That said, I was in my early twenties at the time, and that demographic is less likely to own cars. We know that the younger generations are buying fewer cars, largely due to a tougher job market and higher student loan debt, and the rise of Zipcar and Carshare in urban centers have made it easy to live in places like the Bay Area without a car.
Percentage of Car-Less Households
- New York City, NY: 55.7%
- Newark, NJ: 44.17%
- Jersey City, NJ: 40.67%
- Washington, DC: 36.93%
- Hartford, CT: 36.14%
- Baltimore, MD: 35.89%
- Philadelphia, PA: 35.74%
- Seattle, WA: 34.91%
- Buffalo, NY: 31.42%
- New Haven, CT: 29.74%
- Pittsburgh, PA: 29.45%
- Paterson, NJ: 29.32%
- Chicago, IL: 28.85%
- San Francisco, CA: 28.56%
- Cambridge, MA: 27.72%
Source: Wikipedia / 2000 Census
The Car-Free Movement
It may sound hellish to our car-enthusiast readers, but there is a movement in urbanism to go car-free. The city of Hamburg has tried to ban vehicles, and hopes to be car-free by 2035, and Wikipedia has a list of car-free places all across the globe.
