Are We Ready for the Post-Car Age?

With the elimination of parking requirements in major cities like Minneapolis and european cities trying to eliminate cars in their city centres by the middle of the century, one thing is clear, policy-makers are de-emphasizing the car but the big question is,  are we finally ready to embrace the post-car age?

The automobile, its ownership, manufacture and expense has been the hallmark of the American middle class. In the 1950s and 60s the ownership of a 2nd car marked that you had really arrived financially. Cities competed for the title of “largest car ownership” and the swanky, tail-finned autos detroit sent off the line after World War II showed that American prosperity was here and here to stay. We built the interstates from coast to coast and uniquely auto-centric things like strip malls, shopping centers and shopping malls started popping up all over the country as developers created neighborhoods and a lifestyle centered around the automobile. Popular ads, songs (“See the USA in Your Chevrolet” styled on a short bit of music from a Sousa song) and manufacturer pride became hallmarks of everything American. Car racing on the popular NASCAR and other circuits reinforced that to be independent, American, and modern was to own a car. Pretty soon mass transit projects like local street car systems, which had been popular in the early 20th century, were getting torn up to make room for the new cars that were filling every road in America. The sunday drive that had been popular in the 20s transformed into the American roadtrip where Americans drove their cars across the country to see the national parks, Disneyland and other parks and amusements that had sprung to entertainment and amuse. Drive in restaurants and movie theatres made it so you almost never had to leave your car. Cars also powered the expansion to the suburbs and away from dense, walkable urban centers. Gas was cheap and Americans were ready to experience the wonders of the post war environment. It all seemed unstoppable and that it would last forever.

Then a few things happened that killed America’s romance with the car. Oil embargos from Iran and other Middle East countries in the early 1970s led to price gouging and gas lines with rationing. Detroit automakers scrambled to reduce the size of their cars and bring greater fuel economy to the market. Government environmental regulations, to that end, sped up that process  even more. Soon, the idea that the only way to get around or even get to work and basic necessities with a car seemed foolish. A renewed focus on mass transit in the 1980s followed, but the efforts were poorly funded and systems were stretched trying to  provide reliable transportation to the sprawling suburbs that had been build for cars, not buses and trains. Eventually, the price of gas came down and America got back into it’s cars and started driving again, this time in trucks and SUVs. However, as gas prices rose and the expense of running those vehicles taxed people’s incomes, the weakness of an all-car culture began to be revealed. One could not simply walk  a grocery store and save gas. Use the bus? It only comes once an hour (if you’re lucky) and then you have to deal with hauling a week’s worth of groceries by bus. And that’s just food shopping; imagine trying to move other forms of goods for a family or navigating it with children. This left Americans in a bind where they couldn’t afford their expensive cars but couldn’t manage without them. Then the recession happened and people began re-evaluating their priorities. However, what is about to bring about a shift in car culture to the post-car age is two factors: the dislike of cars by Millennials and the rise of Uber and on-demand car services.

I’ve written fairly disparagingly about the rise of so-called car sharing services. I’m disappointed in them mostly for the treatment of workers and their complete lack of any kind of regulations but the reality is that many people prefer to use transportation in that manner than in more traditional means. Could services like Uber and Lyft spell the end of car ownership for many people?  Many people certainly think so. It is hard for mass transit to service everywhere everyone need to be. But personal transportation from transit links provides the flexibility of the car without all the costs involved. This gets even cheaper with the coming advent of the self driving car that can be deployed and continue to operate without the need of a driver or breaks.

Younger people, especially those of us who came of age during the recession, often can’t afford cars or simply aren’t interested in owning cars that sit most of the day. This attitude is also contributing to the trend of re-urbanization. As the car liberated people from city centers in the 1950s, people are re-urbanizing to be closer to stores, services, and employment. Younger people prefer denser, walkable communities and neighborhoods that are built so that your first act of your day isn’t going out and getting in your car. Now that might mean transit, on-demand car, or just walking.

We don’t know what the future holds in terms of cars and transportation but one thing is clear: our relationship with the car is changing radically and it’s going to change the world around us.