Car Dependence
What Comes After the Auto Bubble?
Vehicle travel in the United States has experienced a resurgence in the last two-and-a-half years, following an unprecedented decade-long per-capita decline in driving. Low gas prices are likely a big reason why; recent increases in incomes and employment as well. But an additional factor has been relatively unexplored: the effect of changes in credit markets on vehicle purchasing and ownership.
May 1, 2017
Where Car Commuting Is Shrinking — And Where It’s Not
Where are Americans making the shift away from driving to work?
September 16, 2016
John Oliver on the Cruel Poverty Trap That Is Subprime Auto Lending
Never forget this: Those who pay the highest price for the American system of transportation -- one that makes owning a personal car practically a mandate -- are the poor. We've reported before about how the largely unregulated subprime auto lending market has been expanding in recent years, leading some people to wonder if a breakdown in the auto loan industry could echo the housing bubble.
August 16, 2016
Seattleites Own More Cars Than Atlantans, and Other Surprising Comparisons
Here's an interesting glimpse at car ownership in a cross-section of American and Canadian cities, courtesy of a recent report from the Shared Use Mobility Center.
July 29, 2016
“Opportunity Score” Shows Best Places to Find a Job Without Owning a Car
Which places put economic opportunity within reach for residents who don't own cars?
June 28, 2016
Car Dependence and the Troubling Rise of Subprime Auto Loans
There have been warning signs about the growth in subprime auto loans for years now. But the issue got some very high-profile attention last week when JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon raised concerns that there may be a bubble in the auto lending market.
June 10, 2016
Remixing Great Masterpieces for the Highway Age
Last week we highlighted the Photoshop work of Memphis resident David Lindsey, who updated Georges Seurat's “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte” to comment on the way cars have come to intrude on almost every public space. Lindsey was motivated by the decision to allow overflow parking from the Memphis Zoo in the city's historic Overton Park, but his concept quickly inspired activists in other cities.
March 14, 2016
More Driving, More People Dying on America’s Streets
On Friday, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration released new data [PDF] showing that traffic deaths are up. Up quite a bit.
February 9, 2016
Animation Explains How Bad Planning Makes Car Ownership Compulsory
This is a pretty great animation explaining how American cities were undermined by a slavish dedication to storing and moving cars. It's by comedian Adam Conover from TruTV's "Adam Ruins Everything," who also made this great video explaining the screwed up origin of the word "jaywalking."
November 12, 2015
Braves Stadium Relocation Shaping Up to Be a Disaster
When the Braves announced they were leaving Atlanta for suburban Cobb County in 2013, logistically it seemed to make some sense. After all, the new stadium site is more centrally located in relation to the highest concentration of fans who attend games.
October 30, 2015