With trends pointing towards a more eco-conscious, active society, one would imagine to see the decline of car ownership in urban cities. After touring various urban homes and talking to property managers, this unfortunately is not the case. People still think cars are a necessity in urban living! In fact, in multiple cities we were told that residents were on waiting lists for parking spots to open up. In luxury high-rises the parking garage serves as a storage facility to protect the cars. In other cases, the lack of public transportation still makes having a car inevitable.
Location clearly has an immediate impact on access to public and alternative means of transportation. It thus effects the likelihood of residents to give up car ownership.
What does this mean for future generations and the transformation of cities?
Although cars seem to still be prevalent in urban cities today, trends and technology advancements suggest otherwise.
The percentage of Generation Z members that have secured a driver’s license has dropped more than 20-percent over previous generations. Instead, they prefer public transportation, ride sharing, and human-powered transportation such as bikes, skateboards, and hover boards. Rethinking the traditional parking garages and instead using the space to promote physical activity – walking to the store, using stairs instead of the elevator — is an area ripe for innovative space planning and cost savings. [11]
Massive tech advancements are eroding our reliance on personal vehicles, leaving apartment communities to figure out how to adapt to a fluctuation in parking needs going forward. [6]
